


The Second Summer of the Boys

by RainbowDonkeys



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: It'll rot your teeth, M/M, Summer Camp AU, SummerCamp, implied!chensung, its very fluffy, jisung and chenle are babies, sorta kinda!winkun, they play a lot of truth or dare
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-12
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-08-22 12:42:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 59,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16598129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RainbowDonkeys/pseuds/RainbowDonkeys
Summary: Eighteen teenage boys, one magical summer camp that they all called home. What could possibly go wrong?





	1. front page (author notes)

Heyo! Due to popular demand, I have decided to write a sequel to my NCT summer camp au that I wrote back in January! (you can find that here or on my aff, under the same user). These nct stories also have exo versions which you can find exclusively on my off (Just a warning, I wrote the first two parts of this 2-3 years ago so they aren't exactly quality writing, which is why I don't wanna post them on ao3. But I do think they're still a fun read if you really like this au).

Hope you enjoy!

The story begins next chapter!


	2. The Boys are Back

"Doyoung, listen to me! Now I know you had a lot of fun last year, especially with that Jaehyun kid, and I know you're a little bit older now, and you may be getting some urges...." Doyoung's father lectured from the front seat. 

But Doyoung had blocked out his voice completely. He was bouncing in his seat in the back, impatiently staring at his phone as his parents drove to his favorite place in the entire universe: Camp Purple. 

It had been almost a year since he'd left the place he'd met his eight best friends (plus his boyfriend), and god did he miss it. They'd texted and called and snapchatted and facetimed and skyped all year long, but that could not ever replace time face to face. And now, finally, Doyoung was going to get some. 

The group chat was blowing up with messages; some of his old friends had already arrived, others were still on their way. When Jaehyun texted that he was there, Doyoung's stomach began to burn with butterflies. 

"Doyoung, are you even listening?" Doyoung's mother asked. "This is very important."

"Yeah, of course," Doyoung lied. 

Doyoung's dad sighed. "We just want you to be safe, alright?" 

"Dad, I'm not gonna have sex!" Doyoung whined. 

"Have you ever heard of mono? The kissing disease?" His mom asked, right as the car pulled into the parking lot. 

As soon as the car was stopped, the engine not even off yet, Doyoung leapt out of the car to grab his things. 

"Wait, wait!" Doyoung's mother called with laughter. "Let me help you." She started lifting Doyoung's things out of the trunk and Doyoung gave her a smile. 

"Thanks mom." 

"It's nothing," she said in her usual, gentle voice, and with a pang Doyoung remembered how much he'd missed her last summer. But he shrugged it off, trying to maintain his excitement for the coming month. 

They finished putting all of Doyoung's things onto the gravel, and Doyoung gave her a hug. 

"I'll miss you." 

She smiled back at him. "I'm just glad you're excited," she admitted, ruffling Doyoung's hair in a way that made him grimace. "I'm just happy to see you wanting to hang out with friends." 

"Bye son!" Doyoung's father called. "Have fun! And remember what we talked about!" 

Doyoung rolled his eyes. "Fine dad!" His mother hopped back into the car, and the two of them drove off. 

Doyoung watched the car roll down the gravel road with a small smile before grinning brightly and turning around. 

Suddenly, he was there. His best friend, his boyfriend, the person he'd missed more than anything else in the world: Jung Jaehyun. 

Immediately, Jaehyun ran into his arms and captured him in a tight hug. "Doyoungie," he said softly into Doyoung's hair, and Doyoung felt himself relax immediately. He'd forgotten how nice it was to be held and touched like this. He honestly forgot how much he absolutely adored Jaehyun. 

When they pulled away from the hug, Doyoung looked him over. He'd gotten quite a bit taller (not to mention handsomer), probably due to puberty; he was finally in high school after all. He'd dyed his hair an auburn brown, it made him look even more like the boy next door in teen movies Doyoung never imagined he'd have a chance with. Now, here he was, right in front of him. 

But seeing him in person for the first time in a whole year made Doyoung really, really nervous. He cut eye contact and smiled widely, pushing back his black hair. "I missed you so, so much." 

Jaehyun chuckled back, and it sounded like music to Doyoung's ears. "Me too. You have no idea. Now...don't I get a kiss?" 

He tilted Doyoung's face up and pressed their lips together gently, Doyoung holding onto the front of his plain t-shirt to keep him close. Doyoung flushed at the contact; his body had forgotten what it felt like to kiss over the course of this year. But he didn't feel too bad; he could feel Jaehyun's face heating up too. 

"Maybe we shouldn't spend all day making out in the parking lot," Doyoung said. 

Jaehyun laughed. "Good idea. Almost everyone else is here already, we should see them." 

Doyoung nodded and he picked up some of his luggage, Jaehyun grabbing the rest as they headed to the sign in table. 

"I remember you guys!" Yixing, the five to sevens counselor, spoke excitedly. "Welcome back. You two will be in cabin e2 this year." He checked off Doyoung's name, and they started to head down to their cabin. 

"Same cabin this year!" Jaehyun said excitedly. Doyoung grinned up at Jaehyun and they pecked lips. 

"Exciting," Doyoung responded, remembering when he and Jaehyun would sleep in the same bed and cuddle the year before. His father's warnings were absolutely ridiculous; Jaehyun and himself (other than occasional make out sessions) were the purest couple imaginable. 

Doyoung breathed in his surroundings with a smile. Camp Purple was as beautiful as ever: the dense trees, warm summer air that just breathed better, bright sunlight, crunch of the woodchips and gravel beneath his feet. He was almost as in love with this place as he was with Jaehyun, if that was even possible. 

The two boys caught up on all the things they'd forgot to tell each other over social media, dumping Doyoung's things onto the same bed as Jaehyun's before rushing into the dining hall at the sound of the meal bell. 

It only took Doyoung one second to find the rest of his friends. They were all seated at their usual table, although Doyoung noticed many more people packed around it. Some looked familiar, as they might've just gotten bumped up from the 10-12s group from last year, and there were some new faces as well. Doyoung and Jaehyun held hands and squeezed in at the table slyly, as the others were in conversation. 

"DOYOUNG!" Ten immediately screamed, interrupting everyone's conversations to rush and hug his best friend. All of Doyoung's other friends, Taeyong, Johnny, Taeil, Yuta, Sicheng, Mark, and Donghyuck hugged Doyoung so hard they almost pushed him over the edge of the table. The others just looked on like they were crazy. 

"I'm sorry about these guys," Doyoung said to the newbies as soon as his friends got off. 

"Nah, we're used to it. They've done that for every single person who came in," one of the new teenagers said. "I'm just glad this time he waited until after the camp director's speech."

"Joonmyeon and Yifan already did their shpiel?" Jaehyun asked, and everyone else nodded

"Anyways..." One of the familiar faces added, "You should learn this first thing, Donghyuck's crazy." Doyoung looked up and noticed a very different looking Donghyuck smack this kid, the other hand surprisingly resting on Mark's thigh. A lot must have happened over the school year, Doyoung figured. 

"H-Hi..." One of the newbies stuttered. "I-I know you all know each other but, I don't know any of you, s-so can we all introduce ourselves maybe?" He asked in the gentlest, sweetest voice possible. Doyoung immediately felt a wave of protectiveness overcome him hearing this guy speak. 

"That's a great idea!" Another new kid said, the really really tall one added. "I'm Yukhei, I'm fourteen. I'm gonna be a sophomore." He grinned. 

The shy boy next to him with the gentle voice spoke next. "I'm Jungwoo, I'm fourteen too." 

"I'm Taeil," he introduced. Doyoung noticed he looked almost exactly the same, his eyes frequently going to Johnny. "I'm sixteen, I'll be a senior in the fall." 

"I'm Johnny, I'll be a senior too." He was just as handsome as ever, his eyes going back to Taeil. Doyoung wondered, too, what had happened during the school year between them. 

"I'm Ten, I'm fifteen, gonna be a junior, and this is my boyfriend Taeyong," Ten introduced, gesturing back to Taeyong (whose lap he was sitting on). "He's sixteen like Johnny and Taeil." Taeyong was too busy mouthing at Ten's neck to introduce himself.

"I'm Kun, uh, I'm fifteen too," the other newbie introduced, the one who'd spoken directly to Doyoung. He seemed pretty inconspicous to Doyoung; he reminded him of himself and Taeil. 

"I'm Doyoung, I'm fifteen, I'm gonna be a junior," he said quickly. 

"I'm Yuta, I'm sixteen, and this is my boyfriended Sicheng." Doyoung grinned when he saw the adorable couple. Sicheng was clinging onto Yuta's muscular arm, and Yuta gave him back a loving grin, pressing a kiss to his forehead. Doyoung noticed Kun look at the couple out of the corner of his eye, but the look was gone as quickly as it came. 

"I'm Sicheng, I'm fourteen," Sicheng shyly introduced.

"I'm Jaehyun, I'm fourteen too. I'm gonna be a sophomore, and...Doyoung's my boyfriend, by the way." Both of them flushed pink and Doyoung shyly buried his head in Jaehyun's shoulder, sort of embarrassed at being called out like this but sort of proud at the same time. 

"Uh, hi, I'm Mark, I'm also fourteen," he introduced in his usual awkward and shy manner. Doyoung quickly noticed that even though he looked the same in appearance, his demeanor was slightly changed, sitting very close to Donghyuck instead of pushing him away. He was even wearing the t-shirt Donghyuck had tie dyed for him last year. 

"Hello, I'm Donghyuck, I'm thirteen. And I'd like to let you all know that Mark is no longer just the object of my physical, mental, and emotional desires....he is also my boyfriend." 

After a long pause, Yuta finally spoke. "How the fuck did that happen?" 

"I'm with him," one of those familiar faces added. 

"You see," Donghyuck started proudly. "Mark asked me to kiss him at the end of last year's camp. We've been dating ever since." Mark shyly hid his face in his arms, but Doyoung could see him beaming proudly. "I swear, I'm more mature than last year." 

Donghyuck wasn't lying, at least physically. Donghyuck's voice, although still fairly high pitched for a guy, had deepened considerably. A bit of his baby fat had been shed, and he looked a lot older than he had last year. He was even a lot taller; where he'd come up to Mark's shoulder last year, now he was even probably at least a half an inch taller than him. 

"Well....congrats to you, I guess? And Mark, good luck," Johnny said. 

"I think you're the one who needs it," Mark responded, glancing quickly at Taeil, and Johnny rested his hands on his cheeks to hide his blushing cheeks. 

"Anyways..." one of the familiar faces interrupted. "I'm Jaemin, I'm thirteen, I'm going to be a freshman in high school next year." 

"I'm Jeno, and same," the next guy introduced. Doyoung smiled at the kids; they seemed quite sweet and cute. 

"I'm Renjun, I'm thirteen too." He was the one who made the sly comments about Donghyuck, and Doyoung approved of him already. 

"I'm Chenle, I'm twelve. I'm going into eighth grade" a very tiny looking boy with a very loud voice spoke. 

"And I'm Jisung, I'm eleven. I'm gonna be in sixth grade," the last of them spoke, very quiet already, although he was quite a bit taller than the boy named Chenle. 

"Is that all of us?" Johnny asked, and they all nodded back at him as Sehun approached their table. 

"Wow, there's a fuck ton of you," he said and chuckled. 

"What are we doing today?" Taeyong asked. 

"I dunno about you guys, but what I'm doing today is sucking my boyfriend's dick." He waved goodbye at them as most of the kids stared at him in shock, watching him leave the dining hall entirely. 

"Isn't that our counselor?" Jungwoo quietly asked. 

"Yup," Taeil asked with a grimace. 

"He told us last year that he was only here to avoid his parents and suck his boyfriend's dick. Same is probably true this year," Taeyong explained as Ten wiggled in his lap. 

"Okay wait...." Kun interrupted. "Aren't the age groups divided? Isn't Sehun just the counselor for the thirteen to fifteens? And doesn't each age group have its own set of cabins?" 

"Yup," Taeil responded. 

"Then...why are we all here?" 

"Now that we're thirteen, we got bumped up," Jaemin explained, gesturing to himself, Donghyuck, Jeno, and Renjun. "But we couldn't just leave the rest of our squad behind." He pointed at Jisung and Chenle. 

"And even though we're sixteen, these are our best friends," Johnny said, pointing to himself, Taeil, Yuta, and Taeyong. "We don't wanna hang out with the others." 

"Then how are we supposed to all fit in the cabins?" Jaehyun asked. 

"Can't you guys just go where you're supposed to?" Kun asked. 

"No fucking way," Donghyuck responded. "Chenle and Jisung stay with us." 

"And Taeyong and Johnny and Taeil and Yuta too," Ten added as Sicheng grabbed onto Yuta. 

"Doyoung?" Mark asked, and all heads turned to him. "You're the smart one, can't you figure this out?" 

Doyoung released an exaggerated sigh. Even though he was loath to do this, he couldn't imagine not having Johnny, Taeyong, Yuta, and Taeil in the cabins with them.

"Alright, fine," Doyoung responded. "Someone get me a piece of paper and a pen." 

Johnny passed him a napkin, and Kun pulled a pen out of his pocket. 

"So, we have three bunk beds per cabin, which means six beds per cabin, and two cabins...." Doyoung muttered to himself. Everyone was dead silent as Doyoung sketched it out and did the math; they were all anxious as to whether or not they could have the summer they'd dreamed about the past year. 

After what felt like half an hour (but was really only about two minutes), Doyoung looked up. 

"Will it work?" Jaehyun asked. 

"Yes," Doyoung said, and everyone cheered. "But only if all the couples share a bed and one person sleeps on the floor." 

Taeyong and Ten cheered way too loudly, Yuta and Sicheng smiled (they'd shared a bed last year), Mark and Donghyuck looked shell-shocked, and Doyoung and Jaehyun grinned at each other. 

"Did you really figure it out?" Jeno asked nervously. 

"You guys can look at my work," Doyoung said, passing the napkin to Jaehyun. "This doesn't have to be our exact arrangements, but basically like this." 

The napkin made its way around the circle, everyone staring at it and nodding in approval. When Mark and Donghyuck got it, they shared a look, and Donghyuck whispered something in Mark's ear. Mark seemed immediately soothed, and it had almost made its way back to Doyoung when it stopped. 

"Wait....Johnny and I aren't a couple," Taeil said. Everyone paused. 

"Well then be a couple, bitch," Ten responded. 

Taeyong chuckled. "Or you're sleeping on the floor too." 

Everyone laughed slowly, the nervousness of first meeting and endangerment of their good time fading away. Now, they could really appreciate the summer, and get everything started. 

"Should we go unpack and figure all this shit out?" Doyoung asked the group, standing up. 

"Hell yeah!" Yuta cheered. The boys all cheered, leaving the now empty dining hall and running off to their cabins to spend the best summer of their lives. 


	3. The Bed Dilemma

"So, I'm thinking that the younger ones should stay in E1, and the older ones should stay in E2," Doyoung suggested. 

"That sounds good," Taeyong responded. "We can readjust if necessary." 

So the boys went into their cabins, shuffling around their luggage and arranging themselves onto the beds. 

Luckily, Taeyong and Ten had already planned to share a bed before this whole things started, picking the top bed of the middle bunks. They were the first to arrive anyways, so their stuff was already organized. The two of them shared a smile and climbed up onto the top bunk, Taeyong laying down and Ten immediately laying directly on top of him. 

The two of them immediately shared a shy smile. Taeyong knew this year had been really, really hard for him, not having Ten by his side, and he was sure Ten felt the same way. It felt amazing to be back together once again; it felt like home. 

"I missed you so much," Taeyong mumbled, grabbing Ten's hand from underneath the covers. The other boys were talking loudly and banging their things against the floors and walls, but all other noises quickly faded away when Ten and Taeyong were together. 

Ten didn't respond, instead just moving up to peck Taeyong's lips. Taeyong hummed into the kiss, his hand trailing down Ten's spine. He felt every muscle in his body relax, no awkwardness whatsoever even though they'd been apart for almost a year. 

When they pulled away they snuggled deeper under the covers, the cool night air seeping in through the cabin walls. They'd just eaten dinner before the camp director's speech, and night was quickly falling. Through the tarp ceiling, they could see the sky was already almost dark. And although it was hot out here in the day, night was always freezing cold. 

They hummed as Ten rested his head on Taeyong's chest. Over the school year, they'd spent at least an hour talking on the phone to each other each day; they weren't starved for conversation. Everything that needed to be spoken had already been said. Instead, they craved each other's touch, just these cuddles were exactly what they wanted and needed. So, they were satisfied. 

Taeyong played with Ten's hair as Ten watched the boys get settled around him. Doyoung and Jaehyun grabbed Doyoung's old bed, the bottom bunk farthest from the door, and Kun situated his things on top. Johnny and Taeil were awkwardly getting organized in the bottom bunk closest to the door, and Yukhei and Jungwoo were just staring around awkwardly. 

Ten smiled up at Taeyong. He was so glad they weren't like one of those newbies or Johnny and Taeil; he'd found exactly what he wanted already. 

"I wish we could make out," Taeyong mumbled. Ten grinned now, this was a big part of what he was waiting for.

"Why can't we?" Ten mumbled back. 

"I feel awkward around the newbies." 

"They'll have to get used to it at some point," Ten answered, and Taeyong had to grin. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Johnny and Taeil were uncomfortably putting their things in their bed when an uncharacteristically shy Johnny turned to Taeil. 

"Do, do you wanna take a break and go on a walk with me?" He asked. Taeil nodded, grabbing a jacket, and the two of them headed out. 

It was just so awkward. Taeil and Johnny had talked non stop over the school year, and while Taeil thought his crush would get better with them separated, it only got worse. He was pining so hard for Johnny, and now seeing him in person was just making it even more bad. Taeil had forgotten just how incredibly handsome Johnny was, and somehow, he'd gotten even taller. Taeil blushed just looking at him. 

Once they were a distance from the cabins, in the middle of the grassy field, Johnny just sat down. Taeil sat down in front of him immediately, noticing Johnny's hands were trembling (he figured it was the cold). 

"Taeil....there's something I have to tell you." Taeil froze. Had Johnny figured out he liked him? Taeil had tried so hard to keep it a secret, knowing the popular sixteen year old would never go for a guy as shy or nerdy as him. He knew Johnny would never feel anything like that for him, but he wasn't ready for this outright rejection. 

"What is it?" Taeil asked dejectedly, leaning his face on his elbows. 

"Taeil, I....I didn't want to believe it at first. To be honest...I don't usually date. And I knew you would never, ever feel the same way about me as I felt about you. But...I have to get it off my chest, I just have to. Especially if we're going to be sharing a fucking bed...well, here goes nothing. I...it started at the end of camp last year, and it only got worse. I couldn't stop thinking about you all school year, no matter what I did. So Taeil....I like you. I like you a lot." 

Taeil was in a state of shock. Was this a prank? Was this his idea of some sick, twisted joke? "You can't...you can't like me," Taeil responded with a scoff. 

"I know, you're smart and talented and I'm just some dumb jock-"

"No!" Taeil interrupted. "You can't like me because I'm just a loser, my only friends are my camp friends, and you're the only person I've kissed in my entire life." 

"Didn't you kiss Yuta in spin the bottle last year?"

"I like to pretend that never happened," Taeil responded. 

"And you...adknowledge my kisses?"

Taeil gave him a deadpan expression. "Everyone knows you're the best kisser at camp." 

Johnny stared at the floor and sighed before standing up. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have even told you," he admitted quietly. 

"Wait, Johnny," Taeil called, and Johnny looked at him. "You wouldn't really play a joke like this on me, would you? I-I thought you were better than that..." 

"You think I'm playing a joke on you?" Johnny cried. Taeil slowly nodded, and Johnny immediately sat back down in front of him. "I'm not. I'm really not. I promise, I...I haven't been able to get you off my mind since the day we met one year ago. I have a massive, stupid, ridiculous crush on you." 

Taeil, again, just stared back at Johnny with wide eyes. He legitimately did not think this would ever happen in his entire life. He was overwhelmed, to say the least. 

"Could I, uh, get an answer? Because if not I'm just gonna assume you hate me..." Johnny said quietly. 

"I don't hate you," Taeil said, as if in a daze. All logical thought had left his brain. 

Realizing he was going to have to do the work himself, Johnny sighed. "Is there any chance you like me too?"

"I really like you," Taeil answered. "But it's still hard for me to believe you like me." 

"What could I do to prove it to you?" Johnny answered, leaning in closer, his usual confidence coming back to him now that he realized this was Taeil's typical response to romantic feelings. His question went unanswered. "Would a kiss do?" 

"Yes," Taeil answered immediately. Johnny just chuckled and cupped Taeil's cheek, circling his soft skin with his thumb before leaning in and pressing their lips together. Taeil forgot how to exist momentarily, the intensity of the kiss overwhelming him, before he finally kissed Johnny back. Butterflies swirled in his stomach and his veins hummed with the feeling of everything that was going on, and when Johnny pulled him in closer Taeil obliged right away. 

He never wanted to let go but Johnny was pulling away, breaths fanning hot against his face, and Taeil blushed gently. Soon he started to shiver; the sky was dark and the air outside was freezing cold, but Taeil didn't feel cold in the slightest. 

But Johnny noticed his arms shivering and rubbed them gently, helping him stand up. 

"Let's go back inside, you'll freeze to death." Taeil obliged, but once he was up Johnny didn't let go of his hand. 

"I-I know this is a stupid question, but, like, are we boyfriends now?" Taeil asked shyly, looking up at Johnny and damning his own height. 

Johnny's expression slowly bloomed into a smile. "Of course." 

Taeil grinned back, and they walked to their cabin. 

~~~~~~~~~~

When Johnny and Taeil walked back into the cabin hand in hand, Yuta and Sicheng were sitting upright in their own bed. Sicheng was resting his head against Yuta's shoulder, and Yuta was messing with his hair and ears. 

The entire cabin let out a collective cheer at the sight of Johnny and Taeil, Taeil mumbling at them to shut up before they ducked into the bed beneath Yuta and Sicheng's. Yuta and Sicheng shared a giggle at their friends antics before Yuta started to frown. 

"What?" Sicheng asked with worry. 

"You're shivering," Yuta said, with way more concern than necessary. He tugged Sicheng until both of them were underneath the covers. 

"My parents would be very sad if they could see me right now," Sicheng said with a chuckle. 

"Why?" Yuta asked. 

"They don't like...this," Sicheng answered, gesturing between himself and Yuta. 

"They kept restricting your time to talk to me. They even made you delete your snapchat! What do they have against me?"

"It's not you. They just think I'm too young to date." 

"It's not like I'm a distraction, we live hundreds of miles apart," Yuta complained. 

"I'm homeschooled anyways! What would I be distracted from?" Sicheng whined. "Anyways, they didn't even want me to come back to camp, but the other moms in the homeschool group told my mom I needed time with other kids my age since I don't get any at home. But they told me not to spend so much time with you." 

"And what are you going to do about that?" Yuta asked. 

"Ignore them," Sicheng responded, and they slowly shared a grin. 

"It's okay, I'll sleep on the floor," they heard Jungwoo say in his gentle voice. They turned to look at the ground, where he was setting up his things. 

"Aw, you're so sweet!" Doyoung cooed from his own bed, and the others said praised him too. Jungwoo flushed softly, curling up in his sleeping bag. 

"I guess that means I'll sleep here," Yukhei said, crawling into the bed beneath Taeyong and Ten's. Suddenly, everyone except the newbies, Taeyong, and Ten began to laugh. 

"What?" Yukhei whined. 

"Big mistake, my dude," Johnny said. 

"If the bed above yours starts to creak, don't pay it any mind," Yuta added. 

"You'll get used to Ten and Taeyong's constant moaning and kissing noises," Doyoung teased. 

"You guys wouldn't do that to me, right?" Yukhei asked from his bottom bunk. But he recieved no answer, just Ten and Taeyong's giggling. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Back in cabin E1, the boys had already chosen their beds. Chenle and Jisung took the top and bottom bunks by the door, respectively. Jeno and Jaemin claimed the top and bottom bunk in the back of the cabin. That meant Renjun was in Jaehyun's old bed, the bottom middle bunk, and Mark and Donghyuck were stuck on the top. After Mark had gotten to know the younger kids a little bit, he and Donghyuck began to set up their bed. 

"I promise I'll be a good person, Mark," Donghyuck said softly, tucking in the corners of their sheets. "I don't want to you to be embarrassed to be my boyfriend." 

"Hyuckie," Mark whined. "I don't care about that stuff. This year when I started high school I made sure everyone knew you were my boyfriend. Nobody believed me, they thought I was making up that I had a boyfriend, and I mean I guess I can see why having a camp boyfriend could be a little suspicious. But I still made sure everyone knew we were together. I'm just happy to be with you." 

"Really?" 

Mark nodded. "You're more mature now anyways, I mean, puberty. Just be yourself and I'll be happy." 

Donghyuck stared at Mark and smiled. "See, this is why you're the cutest person ever. I knew there was a reason I was so obsessed with you." 

"You two are gross!" Renjun whined, kicking the bottom of Mark and Donghyuck's bed. "If you are too cheesy I'll have to move into the other cabin." 

"There aren't any beds left in there," Jeno responded. "You'd have to switch with Jungwoo, and he's sleeping on the floor." 

That shut Renjun up right away, and Jisung got out of his bed. 

"Can I turn the light off? I'm getting tired." 

The others agreed and the cabin fell dark, Jisung running back into his bed to escape the dark and the cold. 

Mark groaned loudly as he and Donghyuck squeezed into the tiny twin bed. "You guys are so lucky. You get your own bed, and I have really bad insomnia and I have to share mine." Donghyuck pulled Mark closer to him and Mark pouted as Donghyuck snuggled against his side.

"I heard Yukhei was sleeping under Taeyong and Ten," Donghyuck rebutted. 

"What's wrong with them?" Chenle asked. 

"They're...sexual," Donghyuck explained. "Markie, at least you're not..." But when Donghyuck turned to Mark, he was already fast asleep. 

"Is he asleep?" Jaemin whispered. His question was answered by a loud snore on Mark's part. The six boys held back their laughter. 

"Does he really have insomnia?" Jeno asked Donghyuck. 

"He wasn't lying. I mean...he used to," Donghyuck responded. Mark had complained about it constantly over the school year, and frequently sent messages to Donghyuck at three in the morning. But Donghyuck grinned at his sleeing boyfriend; he'd had a feeling some snuggles could cure his problem. 

"Told ya," Donghyuck mumbled to Mark, and the rest of the boys fell asleep too. 


	4. It's Just a Game (Or Is It?)

The next morning, the boys actually got up in time for the breakfast bell at eight am sharp (Johnny swore he'd never do it again). They got their breakfast, and as Sehun was too busy to give them things to do, the kids who'd come last year showed the newbies all around camp. Down the path to all the different cabins, explaining what age groups lived in which, over the bridges, to the dried up streams, by the ledge, around the pool and the art shack and the store, even directing them down to the beach. All in all, it was a great day. 

Once night had fallen, normally anyone would have been tired, but the excitement of their first real day at camp filled them with too much adrenaline to sleep just yet. 

"We should play truth or dare," Donghyuck suggested when all eighteen boys crowded in cabin E2 to hang out. The older kids cheered, while the younger ones and the newbies looked confused. 

"Isn't that kinda lame?" Jeno asked. 

"Not with us," Ten responded. 

"We like to go a little crazy," Johnny added. 

"Fuck yeah!" Chenle cheered, and everyone glared at him for being too young. Everyone agreed, and they gathered in a circle in the center of the cabin. 

Johnny nudged Taeil's rib before reaching to hold his hand. 

"O-okay, I guess I'll start," Taeil spoke when he recovered the ability to breath (it was still hard for him to imagine Johnny was his boyfriend, even if they'd cuddled all last night). "Taeyong, truth or dare?"

"Let's start this game off right. I'll go with dare." 

"Uh....braid Ten's hair." 

Everyone else groaned. "That's so lame! You really wanna start the game off with that?" Ten complained. 

"Just go braid his fucking hair, Taeyong." 

Taeyong rolled his eyes but Ten turned sideways, his back facing Taeyong. Taeyong proceeded to put Ten's short hair into little braids. 

"It probably looks ugly," Ten whined. 

"Nothing we haven't seen before on you," Doyoung teased. 

"I hate you all," he groaned. Go babe," Ten said to Taeyong. 

"Uh, Johnny, truth or dare?" 

"I'll go with truth," Johnny said, not really wanting to humiliate him and his new boyfriend right off the bat.

"How far have you gone? You know what I mean." 

"Uh, I've had sex," Johnny answered candidly. Jisung, Chenle, Jaemin, and Jeno's jaws practically dropped onto the floor. 

"With who?" Taeyong cried. 

"Just some kid at my school. We were drunk at a party; no big deal really." 

Immediately Taeil snatched his hand away from Johnny's, curling up in a ball and scooting away from him. Johnny shot him a concerned look, but Taeil avoided his gaze. Johnny tried to mouth to him, but Doyoung (who was sitting next to him) slapped his arm. 

"Go, it's your turn," Doyoung whined. 

"Yuta, truth or dare?" 

"I'm gonna go with dare, since I'm not boring." 

Johnny thought for a moment. "Kiss Sichengie on your favorite body part of his. Other than his face." 

Yuta grinned and Sicheng blushed as Yuta tugged down the side of Sicheng's shirt, pressing a kiss to his collarbone. 

"That was...less sexy than I thought it would be," Taeyong complained. 

"Come on, that was kinda hot," Donghyuck responded. Sicheng whimpered and Yuta wrapped an arm around his waist. 

"Me?" Yuta said. "Alright, Kun, truth or dare?" 

"I'm kind of afraid to pick dare since I'm new, so I'll go with truth." 

Yuta decided to go easy on him. "Who do you think the cutest guy here is?" 

"Sicheng," Kun answered without question. Immediately Yuta's expression turned into a glare, and Sicheng just looked around awkwardly. 

"That's my boyfriend but okay I guess," Yuta mumbled very quietly, and then cleared his throat. 

"Is it my turn?" Kun asked, and the others nodded at him uncomfortably. "So, uh, Doyoung, truth or dare?" 

"I'll pick truth. I don't feel like getting up," Doyoung answered, leaning on Jaehyun's shoulder. 

"How did you and Doyoung get together?" He asked. 

"So he does know how to recognize a couple," Yuta mumbled. 

"Don't be weird," Sicheng mumbled back to him. 

"Well, so...." Doyoung began to smile just at the memory, and the awkward feeling in the room dissipated. "Last year at camp, both of us liked each other but we didn't know it. So Taeyong gave Jaehyun a bunch of coffee and convinced him to confess, and he did! He was really really high on caffiene though...it was really cute," Doyoung admitted. 

While Doyoung was telling the story, Johnny turned to Taeil, who was still ignoring him. 

"Is something wrong?" He whispered in Taeil's ear. Taeil just waved him away, glaring at the floor, and despite Johnny's hurt expression he just moved back. 

"Alright, it's time. Ten, truth or dare?" Doyoung asked. 

"You know what? Fuck it. I'm gonna go with truth." 

"Ooh! Okay, how far did you and Taeyong go during the school year?"

"I mean," Ten started, and the couple shared a look and smiled. "We had phone sex and stuff." 

Again, the younger boys looked shocked, but the older ones were in no way surprised. 

"My turn! Jaehyun, truth or dare?" 

"You guys have been boring so far, so I'm gonna go with dare." 

"Alright, smack Doyoung's ass." 

Both Jaehyun and Doyoung flushed bright pink and, for the third time, the younger boys looked shocked. 

"Guys, we shouldn't be so sexual in front of Jisung," Johnny complained. 

"Says the person who's actually had sex," Taeil mumbled, but nobody heard him. 

"Yeah, he's like nine," Taeyong added. 

Jisung made an angry expression. "I'm eleven, so shut the fuck up." 

Everyone fell silent. 

"You know what?" Johnny spoke. "Maybe it's fine." 

After an awkward cough on Jungwoo's part, the game continued. 

"Alright, I guess I've gotta go...uh...smack my boyfriend's butt...uh, Doyoung..." Jaehyun stuttered. Doyoung dramatically rolled his eyes and sat up so Jaehyun could do it. 

Jaehyun slapped Doyoung's ass pretty hard, chuckling and moving back to his own spot. 

"That kinda hurt!" Doyoung cried. 

"Jaehyun just licked his lips, holy shit," Ten teased. 

"I hated that," Doyoung responded. 

"Me too," Jaehyun said, then gave Doyoung a shit-eating grin. "Only because it was in public," he mumbled. 

"You know you're barely older than Jisung, right?" Doyoung whined. 

"At least I'm in high school! Anyways, you know I'm just teasing," Jaehyun replied. Doyoung glared at his boyfriend but rested his shoulder back on his head anyways. 

"Is it my turn? Okay, Sicheng, truth or dare?" Jaehyun asked. 

"Uh, I'll go with dare," Sicheng responded shyly. "To keep it interesting." 

Jaehyun giggled. "Lick Yuta's cheek." 

"You're so weird," Sicheng mumbled quietly, but leaned over and licked Yuta's cheek. He immediately made a face. 

"How does your face taste gross?" Sicheng asked softly. Everyone around the room laughed, and Yuta pouted adorably. Sicheng gave him a gentle smile before looking around at the room to see who hadn't gone yet. 

"Oh! Jungwoo, truth or dare?" He asked. 

"Um...I'll pick truth?" Jungwoo asked nervously. He didn't want to get dared to do something crazy; they hadn't been that bad so far but he had a feeling they'd get worse. 

"What do you think of us so far?" Sicheng asked, gesturing to Jungwoo's fellow campers. 

"You guys are kinda weird and a little crazy....but I really like it. It's really fun so far, and you're all nice. Anyways...I-I'm gay, and I don't really have gay friends at home, so it's nice to be around people like me," Jungwoo quietly admitted. 

"Jungwoo! You're with your people!" Ten cried lovingly. 

"You're one of us now, I promise," Doyoung added. 

"Th-thank you guys," Jungwoo responded softly, looking around the room. Yukhei was the first person who caught his eye (like he had the first day), so he asked him. 

"Yukhei, truth or dare?" 

"Dare," Yukhei answered with a confident chuckle. Jungwoo grinned suspiciously. Now that he had already gone, he could give crazy dares without fear of retaliation. 

"Um...I dare you to kiss the cutest person in the room," he responded with a grin. Everyone released a collective 'ooh!' and Jungwoo wondered who it would be. Obviously, Jungwoo thought Yukhei was very handsome (probably the handsomest person he'd ever seen in real life), but he wasn't holding out any hope. 

Until Yukhei was sitting in front of him, a smirk stretched on his face. 

"Wh-what?" Jungwoo asked shyly, his face much too close to Yukhei's for his liking, his cheeks turning pink and his breathing growing faster. 

"You said kiss the cutest person in the room, right? Well..." Yukhei responded. 

"O-oh," Jungwoo stuttered, all his previous confidence gone. Even though a big part of him wanted this, this wasn't the way it was supposed to happen! This was his first kiss, for god's sake. 

But Yukhei's smile was so pretty, and the idea of kissing him gave Jungwoo too many butterflies to say no, so... "Uh, okay," Jungwoo responded. 

Yukhei giggled a little and pushed Jungwoo's hair off to the side as the other campers leaned in closer, watching their Jungwoo's first kiss closely. But Jungwoo didn't even notice as Yukhei tilted his head and leaned in closer, and Jungwoo figured he should close his eyes. 

Jungwoo felt like his whole body was melting when Yukhei's lips finally pressed against his. He blushed immediately, his heart pouding loud enough to drown out the cheers of the other campers, when he realized maybe he should kiss back. So he did and Yukhei let one hand rest, still tucking Jungwoo's dark hair behind his ear. 

Jungwoo knew he must have looked pathetic when Yukhei pulled away, his cheeks pink and eyes wide, but Yukhei just grinned back at him, the most genuine smile he'd seen from him all camp. Yukhei pecked Jungwoo's lips quickly as a surprise, then sat back down next to Renjun on the other side of the circle. 

When Jungwoo's senses finally returned to him (even though he wouldn't truly be a functioning person until the next day), Yukhei was dazedly smiled back at him. 

"Go Yukhei, it's your turn," Renjun said. 

"Oh!" Yukhei responded, physically shaking his head. "Mark, truth or dare?" 

"Uh, dare," Mark responded. 

"Nibble on Donghyuck's ear." 

"Weirdo," Donghyuck commented as Mark leaned over, nibbling on his boyfriends ear. 

Mark pulled away and looked at Donghyuck with a confused expression. 

"I won't say that was the sexiest thing ever, but it wasn't bad," Donghyuck explained. Mark shrugged and nodded and looked around the room. 

"Renjun, truth or dare?" 

"Truth. There's no fucking way I'm nibbling on anyone's ears."

"Uh...who do you think is cute at camp?"

"Uh, no one? I'm actually straight," Renjun explained. Everyone looked back at him with varying degrees of shock on their faces. 

"Wait, you're what?" Ten asked. 

"Not for long," Donghyuck mumbled under his breath. Renjun immediately smacked his wrists. 

"I didn't think straight people came to this camp," Sicheng mumbled. 

"It doesn't advertise this place as being a gay camp. My parents had no idea when they sent me here," Renjun said. "I mean, I don't mind. I just am not gonna kiss any of you. Sorry." 

"It's not like any of us wanted to," Chenle responded. Renjun shot him a thick glare, and Chenle responded with a dolphin like laugh.

"That's the best laugh I've ever heard!" Yukhei cried. 

"Ugh," Renjun said, with feeling. "Jeno, truth or dare." 

"Dare," Jeno responded confidentally. 

"Go slap your least favorite person at camp in the face." 

"Here, let me make this easier for you," Donghyuck groaned, sitting down in front of Jeno. "You're a genius, you know?" He spoke to Renjun. "Planning out an entire dare just so you could watch me get smacked in the face." 

"Hey, I did it myself last year. Wanted to watch the show this year," Renjun responded. 

"Alright, get it over with," Donghyuck said to Jeno. Jeno giggled and smacked Donghyuck across the face. 

"Fuck," Donghyuck grimaced, and Mark rubbed his cheek when he sat back down in his place in the circle. 

"That wasn't hard enough!" Renjun whined at Jeno. 

"Hyuck, truth or dare?" Jeno asked, ignoring Renjun. 

"Wow, you wanna hurt me not once but twice? What a great fucking friend," Donghyuck said sarcastically. "I pick dare." 

"I wanna make it up to you! I dare you to kiss Mark with tongue for ten seconds." 

"Ah, see, at least Jeno has a soul, unlike Renjun," Donghyuck responded, tilting Mark's chin towards him and capturing his lips in a deep kiss. 

Although they'd been going out since the end of camp last year, they'd only ever kissed a few times: once on the last day of camp, and maybe four times on the first couple days of this camp (they lived across state lines so they couldn't see each other during the school year). So they were inexperienced when it came to each other, they'd never kissed quite like this before. 

But to Mark's surprise it was evident Donghyuck had done this before, swiping his tongue against Mark's lower lip before pressing into his mouth. Mark, on the other hand, had no idea what he was doing, hesitantly sticking his tongue around. 

"Your time is up!" Jeno said.

"That was...disgusting to watch," Taeyong admitted. 

"Yeah...I hated that," Doyoung added. While the others complained, Mark turned to Donghyuck. 

"How did you learn to do that? French kissing?" Mark whispered. 

"Didn't I say I was no stranger to spin the bottle last year? They called me the king of it in seventh grade," Donghyuck bragged. 

"I thought you were making that up," Mark responded with a giggle. Donghyuck just grinned back at him proudly. "Well..." Mark started again. "I was terrible at it, wasn't I?" 

"Not the worst," Donghyuck lied to make Mark feel better. "We'll work on it," he added. 

"My turn!" Donghyuck cried, smirking at Jaemin. "Truth or dare?"

Jaemin looked panicked. "T-truth," he responded, fearing what Donghyuck could do. 

"Who do you think is the cutest boy at camp?" Donghyuck asked carefully. 

Jaemin immediately glared at Donghyuck. Donghyuck already knew who Jaemin thought was the cutest boy at camp, in fact, Donghyuck knew who Jaemin liked (Jaemin had confessed it last year after Donghyuck had admitted to him just how much he liked Mark), and now, he was forcing him to admit it to the boy himself. 

"Uh....Jeno," Jaemin quietly admitted. He wanted to scream; Jeno was his best friend at camp! Now it would be so awkward. Jaemin avoided Jeno's eyes carefully, so he couldn't see that Jeno was fiercely blushing. "Chenle, truth or dare?" He asked, trying to get the attention off of himself. 

"Truth!"

"Who is the cutest couple at camp?" He asked quickly. 

"Uh, I think Taeyong and Ten. They're always so clingy to each other and give each other heart eyes." 

"You wouldn't think they were cute if you slept in my bed," Yukhei said dejectedly. 

"Aw! Chenle thinks we're cute together!" Ten and Taeyong squealed, genuinely excited for the young boy's approval. 

"Okay, I guess it's my turn then. Jisung, truth or dare?" Chenle asked with a sneaky look in his eyes. 

"Uh, dare?" Jisung responded, figuring they wouldn't give him something too bad since he was the youngest. 

"I dare you to swap beds with Jungwoo," Chenle responded. 

"Wait, doesn't that mean..." Jisung trailed off. 

"Yes!" Jungwoo screamed. "No more floor!" 

"Just for tonight," Chenle said, and Jisung breathed a sigh of relief. Anyways, he was kind of curious to see what the older kid's cabin was like. 

"Alright, is it my turn now?" Jisung asked, looking around the room. "Taeil, truth or dare?"

"Truth," Taeil said bluntly, still curled up in a ball, about a foot of space still separating him from Johnny. Johnny kept giving him upset looks and tried to talk to him, but Taeil bluntly ignored him. 

"What are your favorite things about Johnny?" Jisung asked. 

Taeil sighed and rolled his eyes. "I don't know anymore." 

"Alright guys let's go to bed!" Taeyong said loudly, trying to stop any awkwardness from coming in. The younger boys, minus Jisung and with the addition of Jungwoo, went to the younger cabin. The others climbed into their beds in the older one. And despite the fact that Taeil got in next to Johnny, he still refused to speak a word to him. 


	5. Ledged

For the first time in his entire camp experience, Johnny was already awake when the breakfast bell rang. It wasn't like he'd been asleep at all that night, though. 

Even after truth or dare had ended last night, Taeil had refused to talk to him. Johnny had been close to tears at that point; just the day before Taeil had been lavishing praise on him, and then he said he didn't even know what he saw in Johnny any more. Johnny wasn't even sure what he'd done wrong. 

He hadn't gotten a wink of sleep that night. And even though Taeil refused to cuddle with him in bed or even be near him (although it was hard on a tiny twin bed), he could tell Taeil hadn't slept at all that night either. Still, when they got up to put their shoes on and go to the dining hall, Taeil didn't speak a word to him. The other members of their cabin, sensing the awkwardness between them, were quiet too. 

Once they got outside, Taeil still tried to walk ahead of him to avoid conversation, trying to interrupt Kun, Sicheng, and Yuta's conversation (more like, Kun and Sicheng's conversation where Yuta was glaring off to the side) But Johnny had enough. Jogging to catch up with Taeil, Johnny lightly grabbed onto his arm. 

"Can we talk?" 

Taeil rolled his eyes. "Fine." 

The others boys whispered to each other as Taeil and Johnny went to the very back of the clump of teenage boys. 

"I don't understand why you're so upset with me. Everything was so perfect, and then....what did I say? What did I do?" Johnny asked, his voice strained with hurt. 

Taeil turned to face Johnny. "I can't believe you said you were thinking about me all school year," Taeil spoke, more angry than Johnny had ever heard him. 

"I-I was, I still am, Taeil, I don't want this to end before it's even begun-"

"Then why did you have sex?" 

Johnny paused, trying to figure out how to explain why he did to Taeil. "We, we weren't together-"

"You had to blind to not realize I was crazy about you," Taeil responded. "And if you liked me too, then why didn't you wait?"

"I guess I was blind then, Taeil," Johnny responded sadly. "Don't you remember what I said to you two days ago? I really thought you were going to reject me." He paused to sigh. "I did it for a lot of reasons. I did it because I wanted to get it over with, I did it because I thought you were going to reject me, I did it to try and forget about how I felt towards you."

Taeil sighed back. Immediately he began to feel guilty; he knew now that Johnny hadn't meant to play with him. He'd spent the whole night isolating himself too, when he could've just been curled up in Johnny's arms. Still, he couldn't help but be a little upset, he couldn't deny his jealousy. "Honestly...what really bothered me is that you said it was no big deal. I dunno, physical stuff is a big deal to me. Everything like that I've ever done has been with you, so you know how inexperienced I am." 

Johnny sighed, again. "I...I understand that, and I'm sorry. I know it is. I know it's a big deal to you, and I won't ever treat the physical stuff we do lightly, okay? I know it's different. It's different for me too, since I have a lot of feelings for you. And...to be honest, when I said it was no big deal last night, I sort of lied. The truth is that...I regretted it. I was way too drunk and I wish I'd just waited. But last night I wanted to keep a good face; who wants to be the dude that regrets losing his virginity?. And anyways, I didn't want the littler ones to get the wrong idea about sex, that it's bad and stuff." 

Now, Taeil was really ashamed. He had no reason to be so upset and waste a whole night dwelling on it, not to mention he probably made his own boyfriend feel awful. "I'm sorry," Taeil said shamefully, wiping his eyes. "I-I was thoughtless."

"No! Taeil no!" Johnny cried, pulling Taeil into a tight hug. "It's all okay. I'm just glad you're not mad at my anymore." 

Taeil sniffled and forced himself to stop crying, burying his head in Johnny's chest. On top of everything, now he was embarrassed too. 

But Johnny just grinned at him and kissed the top of his head. 

"Don't worry, please." 

"Come on lovebirds, we're gonna be late!" Doyoung yelled from far ahead. Johnny smiled down at Taeil and chuckled, and the brightness of it was so overwhelming that Taeil had to smile back. 

"Let's go," Johnny said softly. Taeil took his hand, and they jogged to catch up with the others. 

~~~~~~~~~~

"How was the older kids room last night?" Chenle asked Jisung while they were sitting down to breakfast. 

"It wasn't really that interesting. Everyone just cuddled a bunch except for Johnny and Taeil, they just tossed and turned." 

"Wait...what about Taeyong and Ten? I heard they were..." Chenle started, leaning in closer to whisper in Jisung's ear. "Sexual."

Jisung thought for a moment and shook his head. "They just cuddled. Yukhei must have made it up." 

"I did not!" Yukhei whined from his seat next to the two younger boys. 

"They were just tame since you were there, Jisung," Mark explained. "They felt bad about being sexual in front of you." 

"Really?" Chenle asked with surprise as chef Kyungsoo begrudgingly handed all the boys their food. He gave Jisung his plate last and quickly walked away. 

"Oh," Jisung spoke disapointedly. Half of his second pancake was very badly burned. 

"Oh no!" Ten cried from across the table, leaning over to look at the burnt pancake, and Taeyong followed. 

"It's okay, I'll just cut it off," Jisung said. 

"No way. You're getting a new pancake," Taeyong responded. 

"It's alr-"

"Chef Kyungsoo!" Ten screamed towards the kitchen. "Chef Kyungsoo!" He yelled again when there was no response, and a very grumpy looking Kyungsoo emerged from behind the kitchen doors. 

"What," He said. 

"You burnt his pancakes," Taeyong said decisively. Kyungsoo looked down and grimaced, looking Jisung up and down and immediately feeling guilty. 

"Sorry," he spoke with gritted teeth, taking the plate back into the kitchen. 

"You didn't have to do that," Jisung said quietly. 

"Nah, we did. We're here to watch out for you, kid," Taeyong responded, and Jisung gave the older boys a smile. 

~~~~~~~~~~

After breakfast, the oldies decided to show the newbies their favorite romantic spot: the ledge. 

"I remember all the couples would go here to make out and Donghyuck would convince us to spy on you last year," Jeno said with a chuckle. 

"It was hot!" Donghyuck cried. 

"It was gross," Chenle replied. 

"It's not a makeout spot, it's a romantic spot!" Sicheng whined, sitting down with Yuta immediately beside him. Kun sat down in front of Sicheng, and Yuta wrapped an arm protectively around Sicheng's waist, giving Kun a glare. Kun returned Yuta's glare with a sarcastic smile. 

"The light here is awfully pretty. Brings out your eyes," Kun said almost too casually. Yuta began to squint, and his grip on Sicheng's waist got tighter. 

Sicheng giggled back obviously. "Thanks Kunnie!" Kun smiled back, a knowing look in his eyes directed at Yuta, and Yuta thought he would explode. But one look at Sicheng's pure and beautiful face, and Yuta calmed down. He couldn't be too clingy, he had to make Sicheng happy, all for Sicheng's sake. 

"It's kinda boring," Chenle mumbled as he sat down next to Jisung, Taeyong and Ten sitting in front of them. 

"No, it's romantic," Ten responded, resting his head on Taeyong's shoulder. Both Chenle and Jisung thought for a moment, looking at each other before looking back at Taeyong and Ten. 

"I guess I don't really get it," Jisung mumbled. 

Taeyong and Ten pointed up to the very top of the ledge, right next to the spot where Johnny and Taeil had fallen asleep. "That's where we almost kissed that one time," Taeyong explained. "Gosh Ten, you looked so pretty that evening. The sun was setting, the air was warm, and then..."

"And then?" Chenle asked curiously. 

Ten frowned. "Donghyuck screamed at us, then ran into the forest when Chanyeol chased him." Chenle and Jisung giggled at their friend's antics, as Ten and Taeyong still whistfullly gazed at that spot. They knew it would be so easy to just go up there and make out, since they hadn't gotten any time to do it last night, but looking back and Chenle and Jisung, they seemed bored again. Taeyong and Ten shared a look, then smiled back at the younger boys. 

"Do you wanna play a game or something?" Ten asked the two of them. They smiled up at the older boys. 

"Yeah!" They both cheered, as Yukhei and Jungwoo walked past them. 

"They're right, this spot is pretty romantic," Jungwoo said quietly as they started to walk to the top of the ledge; he wanted to look at the view and Yukhei had followed him (not that he minded). Everyone else was with their boyfriends or friends from last year, and so they stuck to each other for company. 

"Oh wow, they're actually asleep," Yukhei said, gesturing to Johnny and Taeil. They were both completely passed out on top of the uncomfortable rocks, Johnny's large frame curled around Taeil's much smaller one, his face buried in Johnny's chest. 

"They didn't get much sleep last night," Jaehyun explained as Yukhei and Jungwoo passed by, playing with Doyoung's hair. "They were in a fight or something, but now they made up." 

"I'm glad!" Yukhei said cheerfully. 

"I'm glad," Jungwoo repeated, much quieter. Doyoung and Jaehyun didn't notice, but Yukhei smiled at him. 

"They do this a lot anyways though. They're like grandpas; they need six fuckin' naps a day to survive," Doyoung added, nestled between Jaehyun's legs, looking out at the forest. "Where are you two headed anyways?"

"We wanna look at the view," Lucas explained. 

"Go check it out then. It's beautiful up there," Jaehyun said, sharing a knowing smile with Doyoung as the boys waved goodbye and went up to the top of the ledge. 

"It really is beautiful," Jungwoo said breathlessly. They could see the bright, clear morning sky, the sun shining down on the trees, stretching for miles into the distance. Snow capped mountains loomed tall in the background, and Jungwoo slowly smiled. 

When he turned back to Yukhei, though, Yukhei's eyes were on him and not the view. He didn't know what to make of it, so he looked down at his lap. Jungwoo was never one for making easy conversation, besides, he still hadn't recovered from that kiss with Yukhei the day before. 

"Do you like camp so far?" Yukhei asked. "I really do. Everyone's so nice and fun and friendly!" 

"I-I do too," Jungwoo stuttered. "But, I mean, I don't wanna hog you. You should go hang out with the others if you want. I-I know I'm a little boring." 

"What? You're not boring!" Yukhei cried, capturing Jungwoo in a hug and shaking him. Yukhei laughed, and even though every one of Jungwoo's nerve endings was buzzing, he laughed too. "Can I tell you a secret?" Jungwoo nodded. 

"You're my favorite camper," Yukhei whispered. Even though Jungwoo convinced himself it was a lie, it wasn't a real compliment, Yukhei didn't actually believe it, Jungwoo still found himself blushing. 

Before Jungwoo could answer (he was too scared to admit Yukhei was his favorite camper too anyways), the lunch bell rang loudly. Everyone leapt up, quickly rushing to the dining hall to get their food. But as Jungwoo and Yukhei were leaving, they looked to their right to see Johnny and Taeil still fast asleep on the rock. 

"Should we wake them up?" Jungwoo quietly asked Yukhei. 

Yukhei made a face and shook his head. "Let the grandpas sleep." Yukhei chuckled and shook his head, and the two ran to the dining hall before Kyungsoo told them off for being late. 


	6. Pool Days

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! How are you liking the story so far? Anything you want to see? Let me know in the comments below! Love, RainbowDonkeys

The next day after lunch, the eighteen boys decided to spend the rest of the afternoon at the pool. The sun was shining down particularly hot that day, and they needed a way to cool off. So they went to their cabins, changed into their swimsuits, and headed down to the pool. 

Immediately, Yukhei, Chenle, and Jisung leapt into the pool, splashing all the others relaxing on the pool chairs around them. Jeno and Jaemin followed them in and Jungwoo slid in moments after, beginning a game of water polo with Renjun as referee on a small chair between the two lifeguard's much taller ones. 

"Chenle and Jisung are busy today," Ten commented. The two younger boys were already very involved in their game in the pool, the sound of Renjun loudly whistling with his fingers making Taeyong shake his head. 

"Yeah," Taeyong responded, laying down in his lounge chair and looking over at Ten. Taeyong's face bloomed into a smile as he watched Ten bask in the sun, his big sunglasses covering his eyes but his pretty skin glowing in the light. 

"Mmh," Ten commented sleepily, turning to grin at Taeyong. "Why are you staring at me?"

Taeyong casually shrugged. "You just look pretty; that's all." 

"Don't I always look pretty?" Ten stood up from his lounge chair and Taeyong grinned, watching Ten drop his towel and move to straddle Taeyong in his chair. Taeyong ran his hands up and down the sides of Ten's waist, teasingly snapping the elastic of Ten's swimsuit. 

"You know, we've been so busy making sure Chenle and Jisung are alright that we haven't..."

"I know," Ten said, cutting Taeyong off in a raspy tone. "But now we've got some time. Let's make the most of it." Ten bent down to press his lips to Taeyong in a deep yet relaxed kiss, Taeyong making a soft noise against his mouth and trailing his hand along Ten's spine. 

"And so it begins," Doyoung groaned to Jaehyun with a roll of his eyes, gesturing to Taeyong and Ten. He sighed as Jaehyun laughed at him, the pair squished into one lounge chair. It was kind of uncomfortable, as both of them were quite lanky for their age, but Doyoung didn't mind. Jaehyun was laying on his side and looking over Doyoung's shoulder as Doyoung read his book. 

"What's it about?" Jaehyun asked. 

Doyoung showed him the cover. "You've never heard of The Great Gatsby?"

Jaehyun chuckled. "Oh yeah, I've heard of it, but I've never read it." Doyoung made a noise and flipped the noise, and Jaehyun gave him a shy look. 

"What?" Doyoung asked, turning towards his boyfriend. 

"Can you read it to me?" Jaehyun asked, burying his face in the crook of Doyoung's neck. 

"Uh...yeah, alright," Doyoung responded after a few moments, flipping to the front of the book. Jaehyun's bright smile confirmed why Doyoung agreed to do it in the first place, and anyways, he knew for a fact that Jaehyun didn't read enough. 

As soon as he began to read aloud, in a soft voice, Jaehyun cuddled up against his side, their friends seemed to fade. Somehow, the moment seemed perfectly pure yet intimate. Doyoung paused for a moment after the first couple paragraphs, looking down at Jaehyun for some sort of confirmation. 

"This is nice. I like it," Jaehyun said quietly, looking back up at Doyoung. "Keep going." 

Doyoung still froze until Jaehyun kissed his cheek, Doyoung finally smiling back and continuing to flip through the pages. 

~~~~~~~~~~  
In the pool, the game of water polo was still going strong. Although Chenle and Jisung weren't the best players, mostly due to their smaller, more childlike stature (puberty hadn't quite hit either of them yet), they were definitely the most enthusiastic. Despite being best friends, their separation onto two different teams lead them into fierce competition. 

Renjun, for his part, was a very enthusiastic referee. He claimed earlier that although he sucked at sports, he was manager and referee for most of the games at his middle school, since he wanted to get out of class and be able to put something on his high school applications. And he did a good job too, fair (for the most part) and actively watching. 

Jeno and Jaemin were both quite good. Although neither of thme were on sports teams at their school, they both liked to play in their own free time (plus Jeno took swimming lessons). Along with Jisung, their team was very clearly in the lead. 

And for that, Jaemin was grateful. He didn't want to humiliate himself by sucking or making his team with his crush lose. Even though he knew Jeno wouldn't care that much, since they were best friends after all, he didn't want to embarrass himself either way. 

"Woo! Good job!" Jeno cheered, loudest of all as Jaemin made a goal. Jeno splashed his way across the pool, capturing Jaemin in a very wet hug before the next round started. Jaemin giggled back, trying not to blush as he hugged his best friend back. 

"Guys stop! The next round has already begun!" Jisung yelled, the two of them breaking their hug (to Jaemin's sadness) and continuing on with the game. 

Meanwhile, Jungwoo was in a pit of despair. It was clear that Yukhei was very good at sports (he'd told Jungwoo earlier that he'd made it into varsity football as a freshman at his school), and so he was winning them all the points. Even Chenle was a decent back up for him. But because of Jungwoo, they were losing. 

Jungwoo had sucked at sports from the day he was born. He didn't like playing them at all, and he would never have joined this game at all but Yukhei decided to play. He didn't know who else he would've hung out with; Jungwoo's closest friends other than Yukhei were Kun, Doyoung, and Jaehyun, but Doyoung and Jaehyun were cuddling and Kun was doing some homewrecking that Jungwoo did not want to get involved with (frankly, he was a little scared of Yuta). So he decided to play anyways, to his own detriment. 

He'd been placed on defense and had just failed to stop Jaemin from making a goal when Yukhei came up behind him. 

"Hey! Why are you frowning?" Yukhei asked very loudly, as he would, with a look of concern etched on his face. 

"I-I'm just sorry. I making our team fail."

"Hey!" Yukhei cried, pouting in a way that made Jungwoo's heart melt. "It's okay Jungwoo! It's just a game. I don't care." He grinned just then, tugging on Jungwoo's ear. Jungwoo flushed a little bit, but seeing Yukhei's bright smile, he couldn't help but smile back. 

"Thank you," Jungwoo responded softly. 

"Guys! Stop being lovebirds or else the other team will win!" Chenle cried, trying to defend their goal post. 

Jungwoo swam over as quickly as he could, not wanting to seem useless, but he was too far away to notice Yukhei's blush. 

~~~~~~~~~~

On a different side of the pool, Mark and Donghyuck were also curled up together on one pool chair.  Next to them were Johnny and Taeil, neither dressed in swimsuits and both fast asleep on their own separate lounge chairs ('Grandpas," Donghyuck had teased). Kun, Sicheng, and Yuta's backs were facing Mark and Donghyuck, all three boys kicking their legs in the water as they all sat in one conversation together. But from what it looked like to Mark, it wasn't really a conversation between the three of them: Kun was in the middle, talking to Sicheng only, while Yuta was sitting off to the side in barely concealed rage. 

Both Mark and Donghyuck were a little bit smaller so it was a lot easier for them to fit into one lounge chair, but even still Donghyuck was still partially sitting on Mark's lap. They were wordlessly watching the game in the pool, Mark's head resting on Donghyuck's shoulder and his arms wrapped around his waist. 

"I suck at sports," Mark admitted. 

Donghyuck laughed. "Me too. Last year when they kept asking me to play, I always just said I was too cool for them, but really I didn't wanna embarrass myself." 

The comfortable silence returned, until Mark released a loud laugh. 

"What?"

"Jaemin got distracted and missed a point because he was too busy staring at Jeno...I mean, didn't Jaemin say Jeno was the cutest guy at camp?"

"Wanna know a secret?" Donghyuck asked. Mark nodded vigorously and leaned in closer, for Donghyuck to whisper in his ear, "Jaemin likes Jeno."

"Really?" Mark cried. "How do you know?"

"He told me last year, since I told him I liked you."

"But everyone knows you like me."

"Everyone thought it was just in a sexual way. But I told Jaemin how I really felt about you, so he told me about his crush on Jeno."

"Honestly, I think they'd be good together," Mark spoke. "They're really close, right?"

"Yup. Best friends since the first day of camp last year," Donghyuck explained. 

"Wait a minute...were you trying to get them together?" Mark asked, knowing Donghyuck's insidious ways. 

Donghyuck laughed back loudly. "Maybe a little. Last year all I really did was tease Jaemin about it, and even then it was always in private. But in truth or dare the other day I did make Jaemin admit Jeno was cute on purpose."

"Does...does Jeno like him back?" Mark asked with concern. 

Donghyuck sighed. "I honestly have no idea. We aren't close like that, and he hasn't made it obvious."

"He did seem flustered when Jaemin admit he liked him during truth or dare. But that could've just been him embarrassed about romance stuff. He is only thirteen, after all."

"I'm thirteen too, you know," Donghyuck commented. 

"But you're Donghyuck, you're different," Mark replied. "A lot of thirteen year old boys don't think about that stuff. But, I mean, I dunno. I'm not saying it's impossible or even unlikely." 

"We'd just have to find out," Donghyuck responded, and slowly, the two boys looked at each other. 

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Mark asked slowly, the grin spreading on his face. 

"I damn hope so," Donghyuck responded. 

"We have to set them up, don't we?" Mark said. 

"We do. We really do," Donghyuck repsonded, and they shared a smile. 

"But how are we gonna pull this off?" Mark asked. The couple turned back to watch Jeno and Jaemin in the pool. It was Jeno, Jaemin, and Jisung versus Jungwoo, Yukhei, and Chenle. Chenle's team was losing horrifically, mostly because Jungwoo was still in his heavy t-shirt (he'd refused to go fully shirtless) but he himself kept getting distracted by Yukhei's muscular chest. And anyways, Chenle himself was a complete disaster. Jeno's team, despite Jaemin's staring, was far ahead. But still, it didn't give any evidence that Jeno felt things like that for Jaemin. 

"Look, I'm not that close with Jeno," Donghyuck admitted. "He doesn't trust me that much. Even if I asked he would never tell me who he liked, and I think at this point it would be really hard for us to get close like that. But...but he doesn't know your flaws yet. You could get close to him and figure it out." 

"That feels like we're using him!"

"Come on, he seems like a nice dude anyways.You'd be getting a friend out of it." 

"I guess you're right," Mark mumbled, playing with Donghyuck's belly button. Donghyuck giggled sweetly, and s much as Mark liked the sound, he didn't wanna bug Donghyuck any more so he stopped. 

"And I'm already close with Jaemin. All it would take is you figuring out how Jeno feels, and me pushing Jaemin into more flirtatious territory. 

"Wow, this is easy!" Mark responded loudly, and Donghyuck had to shush him. 

"If Jeno and Jaemin find out about this plan, they'll hate us."

"That's true," Mark mumbled. 

"But I think they'll be happier for it. Anyways, we'll call it all off if Jeno doesn't like Jaemin back. Alright?"

"Alright."

"So, is it settled?"

Mark nodded, holding out his pinky in a pinky promise. . 

"What is this, second grade?" Donghyuck teased, but shook Mark's pinky anyways. 


	7. Does Anyone Actually Know How To Kayak?

The next morning at breakfast, Sehun approached the boys and asked if they wanted to go kayaking. Despite some of the oldie's hesitance (Taeyong and Ten remembered how they kept tipping the kayak over, and Yuta and Sicheng remembered how they got lost), the others insisted that they go, so everyone agreed. 

After finishing breakfast, changing into t-shirts and swim trunks, and walking down to the man made lake a short ways from camp, they got to the dock. Sehun handed Doyoung some sandwiches and sent them out on their own, setting up a sheet in the sand of the lake's beach and laying down to relax. The lifeguard at the lake didn't give them any tips either, just helped them get into the kayaks, so the people who hadn't kayaked last year (and the people who'd messed up a lot) were out of luck. 

Johnny and Taeil were the first to get into their kayaks, at first moving in circles until they found a rhythm. 

"Hey, we're actually getting somewhere!" Johnny commented with surprise, heading towards the other end of the lake with a more private beach and cliff for jumping off of. They went and ate lunch there the year before, so they agreed to meet their again this year, and the newbies could follow behind the others on their kayaks. 

"Last year was way harder," Taeil commented. 

"Probably because we had Mark in the kayak with us too." Taeil hummed, and there was a long pause. "I kinda wanna kiss you right now," Johnny spoke. "It's so romantic out here, in the middle of the water-"

"Don't you dare," Taeil grumbled back. "That's why the others always capsized their kayaks. You can kiss me all you want once we get to our lunch spot." 

Johnny pouted but continued oaring, more motivated than ever to try and get to their spot. And so, they reached it quickly, no one else even there yet.

"Huh, I guess we were the first," Taeil commented, flopping down onto the sand. Johnny sat down next to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. 

"I wish we had the sandwiches though," Johnny mumbled, turning to Taeil. Taeil blushed at Johnny's direct stare, looking down at his lap. "So, can I get that kiss now." 

"Gladly," Taeil mumbled back, and they leaned in. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Despite being the second couple to get in their kayaks, Taeyong and Ten weren't exactly close to their lunch meeting spot. They were still in the middle of the lake water, and needless to say, they'd gotten a little....distracted. 

Ten had made his way over from his little seat to Taeyong's, straddling him in the tiny area, their legs uncomfortably tangling and bending together. Even so they didn't mind, the privilege of lips on lips worth all of the uncomfortableness.

Ten and Taeyong had left the oars piled in Ten's old seat, to be a weight against them as they kissed. But obviously, that was not nearly enough of a weight down, so before they could even get into it, their entire kayak toppled over, sending them plunging into the water. 

"Oh my god," the two boys heard Doyoung comment. They bobbed up from the water to see Jaehyun and Doyoung peacefully in their kayak, pointing and laughing at Taeyong and Ten. Ten and Taeyong pitifully looked back at them, their hair and clothes completely soaked. 

"Will you please help us?" Taeyong asked quietly. 

"Do you remember what I said last year?" Jaehyun asked, and the couple shook their heads. "I said that I would help you that one time, but not again. I told you not to make out while you're in the kayak!" 

Doyoung continued to laugh, and Ten shot him a death glare, but that only spurred Doyoung on further. 

"So you're just gonna leave us out here?" Ten whined. 

"Get another couple to help you," Doyoung responded with a giggle, and the pair sped away. 

Giggling the whole way, they quickly reached the sand where they were all meeting for lunch. Johnny and Taeil were the only couple there, kissing each other gently. 

"I am so sick of watching people make out!" Doyoung cried, flopping down onto the sand and whipping out the box of sandwiches and brownies. The three other boys dove at the food like animals, and Doyoung had to laugh. 

"Come on, the two of us had to put up with it all last camp while we were single," Taeil responded. 

"And whose fault is that?" Jaehyun retorted, and Johnny had to admit agreement. 

"At least you guys weren't making out on the fucking kayak," Doyoung complained. 

"Thank you!" Taeil cried. 

"Taeyong and Ten already tipped theirs over," Jaehyun added. 

"I guess you were right babe," Johnny admitted, pecking Taeil on the lips. Doyoung grimaced, but Jaehyun gave Doyoung a kiss to remind him of just how nice it was. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Out on the water, Mark and Donghyuck were oaring perfectly, to both of their suprise. 

"Last year I tipped over," Mark explained. 

"That's because I wasn't there."

"That's actually what I said at the time," Mark responded with a giggle. 

"Seriously?" Mark nodded back. Donghyuck turned around to face Mark, tucking a lock of his hair behind his ear. "Sometimes I have to remind myself that you like me as much as I like you," Donghyuck admitted in an unusual moment of vulnerability. 

Mark had never been good at explaining how he felt, so instead of trying to tell Donghyuck he just reached up to kiss him. Surprised by his boldness, Donghyuck froze for a moment, before gratefully kissing Mark back. He cupped Mark's soft cheek, rubbing circles on the skin, as Mark leaned onto one side of the kayak to gain leverage. 

But, that proved to be their downfall. Quickly the entire kayak tipped over, sending Mark and Donghyuck crashing into the water and flipping over their kayak. Their heads bobbed up from the water and they both grabbed onto the kayak, sharing a look. 

"Shit," they spoke simoultaneously. They shared a sigh. 

"But I did say this last year and I'll say it again, you look good with wet hair," Donghyuck commented. Mark giggled shyly, hiding his face in the boat. 

"Who looks good with wet hair?"

"You, duh."

"Wait, look, there's Jeno and Jaemin!" Mark whisper screamed, gesturing to where Jeno and Jaemin were rowing a little ways away. Donghyuck immediately perked up, the two of them looking surreptitiously over the side of the boat. 

"They look to be pretty concentrated," Mark commented with disappointment. 

"But their both laughing," Donghyuck replied. 

"Hm, you're right. It's a good sign then." 

On Jeno and Jaemin's boat, they were rowing as hard as they could (as they were both pretty hungry). 

"The oars are kinda heavy, right?" Jaemin panted, his pre-pubescent arms heaving the boat as quickly as he could. 

"Ah, I dunno. Maybe a little," Jeno responded. 

Jaemin grinned, he knew Jeno was lying to make him feel better. "You're pretty strong then." Even though Jaemin was in the back of the kayak, he could tell from Jeno's red neck that he was blushing. 

"Naw," Jeno responded shyly, as Jaemin managed to convince himself that Jeno had just gotten sunburned there. Jeno wouldn't blush at one of Jaemin's compliments, obviously to him they were just friends. 

"Is that Mark and Donghyuck?" Jeno commented, looking to his right as two heads ducked behind a capsized boat. 

Jaemin laughed loudly. "Probably." 

"Should we go save them?" Jeno asked. 

"No way. I'm starving," Jaemin replied, and they rowed faster. 

They finally arrived at the lunch spot, everyone there except Mark and Donghyuck. Immediately they ran to Doyoung to get some food, but were handed only a half a sandwich to share. 

"Where did all the food go?" Jeno whined loudly. 

"These boys are animals," Doyoung responded. "Nothing's left, this is all the food that's left, they ate the food like animals!" Jaehyun rubbed his shoulder, and Jeno and Jaemin shared a grimace before leaving them alone. 

Finally Donghyuck and Mark made it to shore, the two of them soaking wet (much like Taeyong and Ten), swimming and tugging the kayak behind them. 

"Where's the food?" Mark panted heavily. Jeno and Jaemin just smiled uncomfortably. They didn't have the heart to tell him. 

~~~~~~~~~~

After a fun late morning of eating and laughing on the beach, the boys decided it was time to head back before they got to tired to row. 

Reluctantly, Sicheng hopped into the kayak with Yuta after a bit of beckoning. 

"What's up?" Yuta asked, trying not to assume that certain someone was interfering. 

"Kun asked me if I could kayak with him this time," Sicheng explained, and Yuta's assumptions were right. "We got super lost last year, and you almost tipped over the boat this time. Renjun said he and Kun got here perfectly."

"I thought you said it was kind of romantic last year when we got lost," Yuta responded, the only thing he could say. 

"I said that? It was mostly just scary, really," Sicheng responded. Yuta sucked in a breath and shook his head, not responding and just continuing to oar, remembering how last year when he and Sicheng were curled up in bed the last night that Sicheng had said he never felt more protected with Yuta's arms around him on the lake that day. Now they went to bed right when the lights turned off, no secret whispers, and even though Sicheng was right by Yuta's side he missed him. 

"God, Yuta, what are you doing!" Sicheng loudly whined when their boat crashed into a rock sticking out of the lake. 

Yuta winced, blaming his own distraction. "Sorry," he mumbled softly. 

"It's fine," Sicheng responded, but Yuta wasn't sure if he meant it. 

~~~~~~~~~~

On the way to the shore, Jungwoo and Yukhei had been to hungry to really focus on anything else (except Jungwoo had been able to focus on Yukhei's muscular back as they rowed). But on the way back to the docks, they were much more relaxed, so they could talk. 

"It's so pretty out today," Yukhei commented. Jungwoo looked up at the sky and it was beautiful; the sun shining down brightly with barely a cloud in the sky. "Just like someone on this boat."

Jungwoo giggled obliviously. "Who would that be?" Jungwoo genuinely asked. Yukhei turned around and winked, and Jungwoo giggled some more. "You have so much confidence!"

"You think I'm talking about myself?" Yukhei asked with laughter in his voice. 

"Yeah, who else would it be?" Jungwoo responded with wide eyes. Yukhei chuckled and turned around to face Jungwoo, ignoring how Jungwoo had missed the compliment entirely. 

"I like this bright light," he spoke. "It brings out your eyes." 

Now Jungwoo really flushed, not sure what to say to Yukhei. But Yukhei just smiled, taking a lock of his black hair and tucking it behind his ear. It took Jungwoo back to when Yukhei had kissed him that night during truth or dare, and now Jungwoo was blushing even harder just at the memory. 

But it took a lot of contorting for Yukhei's long limbs to be able to twist to face Jungwoo. One of those limbs fell into the cool water, and with a surprisingly feminine squeak, Yukhei began to slip into the water. He grabbed onto the side of the kayak to stay on, but immediately he knew that was the wrong decision: the kayak got flipped over, sending Jungwoo flying out. 

As soon as Jungwoo's head bobbed above water Yukhei looked back at him guiltily. "Jungwoo! I'm so sorry," he cried, trying to flip the kayak back over for Jungwoo. 

"It's fine, don't worry," Jungwoo said softly. He wasn't mad at all, in fact he barely noticed it as he was still processing Yukhei's compliment. "I'm sure one of us was gonna tip the kayak over anyways." Yukhei just pouted, and went to work on trying to flip it over. 

After many tries he still failed, turning to look at Jungwoo. "You should just sit on top of the kayak. I'll swim us both back," Yukhei said. 

"It's okay, we can swim," Jungwoo responded quietly. 

"No way!" Yukhei protested. "Come on, get on it. Your personal chauffer back to the docks." Jungwoo nodded shyly, climbing on top of the kayak with a smile. 

Yukhei swam them both back to the docks, the last to arrive. To their relief, however, many of the others were soaking wet too. 

"I can't believe you guys tipped over a second time!" Yukhei cried teasingly at Taeyong and Ten's dripping frames. 

"We didn't tip over!" Ten cried back. "We were just rescuing these two." Jisung and Chenle, also dripping wet, looked up guiltily at Taeyong and Ten. 

"Here's a tip for you all: don't. Make. Out. On. The. Kayaks," Renjun said, him and Kum looking gloatingly at the others. 

"At least we have people to make out with," Mark mumbled under his breath. 

"We weren't making out," Jungwoo mumbled as well. 

"Did you just accuse Chenle and Jisung of making out?" Taeyong yelled. 

"I might have to kill you two," Ten muttered. 

"Guys! Or you just might suck at kayaking," Kun spoke. Everyone sighed. 

"He's probably right," Donghyuck mumbled, and the soaked group headed back to camp. 


	8. Songs Around the Fire

After dinner the next night, Sehun approached the boys. 

"Teen sing a long is tonight," he said. 

"Cool, we'll be there," Taeyong responded with a grin, and all the oldies smiled excitedly.

"I can't believe you guys didn't want to go kayaking, but you are excited for the 'teen sing a long'," Yukhei teased. 

"Dude, it's lit as fuck," Johnny responded. 

"Yeah, we sit around a camp fire and sing old hippie songs with the counselors. It's really nice," Taeil added, leaning on Johnny's shoulder. 

"Remember when Donghyuck made us spy on it last year?" Jeno spoke with a groan. 

"Ugh, don't remind me," Renjun added. 

"Admit it, we had nothing better to do," Donghyuck responded. The other younger boys grimaced guiltily. 

"You just wanted to hear Mark sing!" Jisung teased. Donghyuck blushed and Mark grinned at him, leaning on his shoulder. 

"You said that you wanted to hear us sing sex stuff," Mark mumbled with a grin. 

"I didn't want you knowing how much I liked you in a non sexual way," Donghyuck responded, smiling shyly. 

"Aw!" Ten cooed, and Taeyong pinched Mark's cheek. 

"Our baby's got a boyfriend," Doyoung added. 

"Shut up!" Mark whined, and he and Donghyuck shared a pout before eating their food. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Once the boys reached the campfire for the sing along, a circle with logs for seats a little ways off from camp, a few of the counselors were already there. Although Jongdae, the 16-18s counselor had led them to the spot along with the 17-18 year olds, Sehun (their counselor) and the 5-7s counselor, Yixing, were waiting for them to arrive. Yixing smiled at the boys, passing the songbooks to use for the sing along around the circle. Even though there were a lot of them, all the boys managed to fit in the circle without any lap sitting or someone being left out. 

 Jisung briefly flipped through its pages; he didn't really recognize any of the songs. 

"What is this music?" He quietly asked Taeyong, who was sitting to his right. 

"Camp music," Taeyong explained with a chuckle. "I don't think this book's been updated in fifteen years." 

"I didn't know most of the songs last year either. But now they're special to me, since they're camp songs," Ten added, poking his head out from behind Taeyong's frame. 

"Brown eyed girl!" Jaehyun called out when the counselors asked what song they wanted to sing. 

"That's page 37 in the songbook," Yixing responded. Jisung smiled as he and Chenle flipped to the page, reading the lyrics to themselves. 

As Yixing was tuning his guitar and practicing the chords, Chenle turned to Jisung. 

"Do you like to sing?" Chenle asked quietly. 

Jisung shrugged. "I like it okay. I do it for fun sometimes with my friends." Chenle nodded. "What about you?" 

"I like it a lot," Chenle said with a grin. "I'm in choir at my middle school." 

Jisung smiled brightly, excited to hear the voice of his best friend in all of camp. Yixing finally got the chords ready, and began to play. 

At first, only the people from last year sang along, since they knew the words best. But, soon enough, the others boys joined in, still quiet but becoming more comfortable. 

Jisung sang quietest of all, insecure about his voice and how young he was compared to the others, blushing just reading the line 'making love in the green grass' (yes, he knew what that meant, Donghyuck told him way too much last year). 

So he simply mumbled the words, instead paying attention to his friends around him. Both Taeyong and Ten had pretty, gentle voices, smiling at each other lovingly, understanding the lyrics in a way Jisung couldn't just yet. 

Now, Jisung listened to Chenle. It wasn't often that he noticed his best camp friend as something other than the loud, fun, and crazy twelve year old boy he was, but today it was different. Jisung had no idea Chenle's voice was so incredible: powerful and perfectly toned, worthy of celebrity status even. 

Once the song was over Jisung looked over at Chenle, suddenly feeling shy. It was strange; he'd never felt shy around Chenle before. 

"You have a nice voice," Jisung mumbled in Chenle's ear as one of the seventeen year old campers called out another song to sing. "The prettiest I've ever heard."

Even though it was dark outside, the light of the campfire still lit Chenle's face enough for Jisung to notice his blushing cheeks. He'd never actually seen Chenle blush before, and it made Jisung feel a way he could only describe as weird. 

"Th-thanks," Chenle stuttered, giving Jisung an unusually shy smile before flipping over to the correct page. Jisung spared his best friend one last glance before flipping the page too. 

~~~~~~~~~~

A few songs later, the air outside began to get even colder than before. Despite wearing layers, Jungwoo was freezing, and he subsconsciously scooted closer in towards Yukhei. Jungwoo didn't even notice until he felt the warmth of Yukhei's thigh pressed against his and Yukhei's smile directed at him. Jungwoo shot him a very quick glance before looking away shyly. 

"You're so cold!" Yukhei said with a grin, wrapping and arm around Jungwoo's shoulder. Jungwoo froze from the contact, but luckily he was a bit warmer. 

"Th-thanks Yukhei," Jungwoo stuttered back. 

"You know, all my close friends call me Xuxi." Jungwoo looked up at his handsome face. "You should call me that too." 

"Really? I can?" Jungwoo asked with genuine surprise. 

Yukhei grinned at him. "Yeah! Do you have a nickname?" Jungwoo shook his head. "We'll have to give you one." Just then, the two boys heard the others begin to sing. Yukhei looked over Renjun's shoulder, on his other side, and he and Jungwoo quickly flipped to the correct page. 

As the others sang, Yukhei leaned in closer toward Jungwoo's ear. "You have a pretty voice," he whispered. 

Jungwoo bit his lower lip and alternated from staring at the ground and Yukhei's wide brown eyes. "Thank you...Xuxi," Jungwoo responded, and Jungwoo would never forget the grin that followed on Yukhei's face. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Yuta remembered the teen sing along as being a lot more fun the previous year. He was just joking around with his close friends, explaining things to Sicheng that he didn't know yet, and maybe doing a little cuddling. 

This year, Yuta could only describe as stressful. 

Sicheng was on his right, and Yuta had his usual protective arm wrapped around Sicheng's slim waist. But despite the touch, Sicheng did not lean into it as he once did. Instead, his attention was focused on Kun. 

In between songs they would talk and laugh together, Kun pushing Yuta's insertions into the conversation off to the side. Even though one arm was wrapped around Sicheng's waist, the other was holding up his head, leaning away from the two of them. 

"Dude, are you okay?" Johnny whispered to Yuta. Yuta simply shrugged back. Johnny spared a glance at Sicheng and Kun, then looked back at Yuta. "You've gotta fight for him, okay?" 

"I shouldn't have to," Yuta mumbled back, but he sighed and heeded Johnny's words. While they were singing 'this little light of mine,' Yuta planted a kiss on Sicheng's cheek. 

Sicheng turned to him and grinned brightly; and god Yuta had forgotten just how beautiful Sicheng's smile was when it was direct at him. Sicheng's cheeks turned a little pink, but he scooted in closer to Yuta, resting his head on Yuta's broad shoulder. 

Immediately, Yuta beamed, planting another kiss to Sicheng's forehead as Sicheng sang in his surprisingly deep voice. Sicheng had to pause singing to giggle, and Yuta couldn't have thought of anything more endearing. 

Everything was as it should've been in Yuta's head, at least, for the moment. 

Until, the song ended, and Sicheng casually turned to Kun. "You have a nice voice," he spoke. Yuta's stomach burned with jealousy, but at least Sicheng still had his head on Kun's shoulder, so he would be okay. 

"I promise I'll sing to you every day," Kun responded. 

Maybe Yuta wasn't going to be okay. He tried to swallow down his anger and hide his clenched fists, but it was hard when this, usurper, was blantantly flirting with the boy he adored. 

Despite Yuta's efforts, though, Sicheng and Kun noticed his jealousy. Kun gave him a shit eating grin, and the smile immediately fell off Sicheng's face. He still kept his head on Yuta's shoulder, but he didn't look up at him any more, instead staring straight into the fire. Yuta didn't know what to do. But at the very least, Sicheng still rested on him, the slightest connection between them. 

~~~~~~~~~~

"Final song of the night!" Sehun called. The teenagers released a collective boo, but Doyoung looked up. 

"Come on, we've got to sing Hey Jude!" He responded. After voices of agreement, the counselors told them all the pages, and they began to sing. 

"Dude, how come you have such a nice voice?" Ten quietly whined at Doyoung. 

"Advanced choir, bitch," Doyoung responded, sticking out his tongue. 

"And you too!" Ten said, looking over at Jaehyun. Jaehyun chuckled, and Ten rolled his eyes. "How come you guys are good at everything? Smarts, popularity, talent..."

"It's not really that. I'm smart, Jaehyun's popular, so if we comebine our efforts we have it," Doyoung responded. 

"Still, it's not fair that one couple gets to be perfect," Ten responded. Doyoung and Jaehyun shared a smug grin, cuddling in closer as the night air got even colder. 

"I agree," Taeyong grumbled, sticking his head out from behind Ten's frame. "It's really not fair." 

"Well, you guys have stuff we don't," Jaehyun spoke sympathetically. 

"Like what?" Ten retorted. 

"Maybe a sex life," Taeyong mumbled. 

"We don't want that!" Doyoung whined loud enough for everyone in the circle to stumble on their words in the final song. Doyoung grimaced, sinking back away from the center and closer to Jaehyun. Jaehyun chuckled at his boyfriend, but rubbed his shoulder sympathetically. 

The song quickly ended, and it was time for everyone to head back to camp. Everyone slowly got up, rubbing their butts because of the uncomfortable logs, and following counselor Jongdae back to the main part of camp. 

Doyoung and Jaehyun immediately held hands, skipping along the path back to the cabin. 

"We are the superior couple at camp, aren't we?" Doyoung said softly. 

"I mean, don't tell Taeyong and Ten that. They'll get mad at us because they think they're a power couple," Jaehyun responded. The pair shared a giggle, and went into their cabin for a good night's sleep. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Back in cabin E1, almost everyone was fast asleep. Former insomniac Mark Lee was snoring in Donghyuck's arms, Jisung and Chenle were curled up in their blankets, and Renjun was creepily muttering sleep talk. 

But Jaemin couldn't sleep. He didn't know what it was: maybe it was hearing Jeno's gentle singing voice, sitting by him at the romantic campfire, but the butterflies in his stomach just wouldn't die. 

"Hey," Jeno whispered suddenly, startling Jaemin a little bit. "Can you sleep?" Jeno poked his head over the side of his top bunk, and even though it was dark Jaemin found it adorable. 

"No," Jaemin responded. Jeno had voiced his thoughts exactly. 

"Did you have fun today?" Jeno asked, his dark hair hanging down. 

"Yeah, the sing along was super fun." 

"Yeah, it was....it was nice hearing you sing and stuff, even if they were only songs our parents would know," Jeno responded with a giggle. 

"Yeah, definitely," Jaemin whispered back, trying to be quiet to avoid the wrath of an awakened Renjun. 

"It was extra nice because you were there," Jeno mumbled, a different tone than all of his previous statements. 

Jaemin was very glad it was dark because Jeno couldn't see just how hard he was blushing; what was he supposed to say to that? What did Jeno mean? Now how was he supposed to get any sleep?

"A-alright, I guess I'm actually tired now, so, uh, goodnight," Jeno said, and Jaemin watched him go back into his bed and adjust in the covers. Jaemin cursed interally; he should've responded quicker, and now Jeno thought he hated him. 

"G-goodnight," Jaemin responded, turning over in his sheets too. He didn't know how much sleep he'd get that night. 


	9. Camp Failure

The eighteen boys were quite surprised when Sehun approached their table at breakfast that morning, looking up at his exhausted face. 

"Since when do you have enough time to have events for us three days in a row?" Taeyong teased, Ten leaning on his shoulder

Sehun rolled his eyes. "My boyfriend is busy, alright? Now come to the art shack later, we're gonna do pottery." About half the group cheered excitedly while the rest just sorta looked around, since they didn't know how to do it. "I'll teach you, alright? So see ya later." 

As soon as he was gone, Johnny leaned in close to everyone. "He has no idea how to make them. We'll just to teach you." 

"It's not like you guys will be any good either," Jisung said quietly.

"Hey!" Johnny cried, but everyone knew it was true. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Everyone paired up when they got to the art shack (since there weren't enough work tables for everyone to have their own), Chenle and Jisung immediately reaching for each other and grabbing one first. 

"It's so easy. Mine was really good last year," Jisung said as Chenle slapped the clay down. "My parents still use it at home, and I only took one try!" 

Chenle froze nervously, sitting down next to Jisung on the chair. He didn't want to mess up Jisung's work. "Where's Sehun?" He asked softly. Jisung looked around then shrugged, looking at Chenle. 

"Shall we?" He spoke. Chenle started, and Jisung began to spin the table. Chenle breathed a sigh of relief when they got the dip in their bowl without a problem.

Jisung's placed his weirdly big hands on the side of the clay and Chenle followed suit, his hands looking like a baby's next to Jisung's. He followed every move Jisung did, and slowly, it started to actually look like a bowl of some sort. 

"Good," Jisung mumbled, as the bowl began to turn into more of vase or cup thingie. The smile fell off Jisung's face, and suddenly, the walls got too thin and the bowl collapsed. 

Chenle looked worriedly back and forth at it, wondering why he had to mess it up in front of Jisung. 

"Don't worry. We'll just try again," Jisung said, smiling at Chenle and remixing the clay. And with that expression, Chenle couldn't help but smile back. 

At the table next to Chenle and Jisung's, Taeyong and Ten were restarting their own bowl. 

"I can't believe our own children are better at this than us," Ten said, sighing at the middle schoolers before looking up at his boyfriend. 

"Why don't we know how to do this?" Taeyong asked, slapping the clay back down with frustration. 

"Because last year we just left to go make out." 

Ten sighed. "Of course we did." He began to laugh and Taeyong followed suit, the two of them making another attempt on their bowl. Taeyong cupped his hands around the side while Ten tried to begin the dip, but somehow their clay just...didn't want to work. There were lumps everywhere, and the top edges kept curling and collapsing. 

Taeyong rolled his eyes and stopped the work table, looking over at Ten. 

"Why are we bothering? Making out would be so much more fun," Taeyong mumbled, sparing a glance at Jisung and Chenle to make sure they weren't listening. 

"But I don't want them seeing," Ten responded. Taeyong gestured with his head into the woods, and Ten's expression morphed into a grin. "You're a genius."

"Come on, let's go," Taeyong responded and they took each other's hands, running into the woods with a giggle. 

"What are they doing?" Jaemin asked. 

"Making out," Donghyuck bluntly responded, without even looking up, as Jaemin rolled his eyes at him. Jaemin wished he was doing this with Jeno, as they'd made their bowls together last year (and it had been so romantic), but Donghyuck grabbed him and Mark grabbed Jeno before they could do anything else. 

Jaemin sighed as he molded the clay. "Wouldn't you rather be with your boyfriend?"

"Abso-fucking-lutely. But more important matters are at hand," Donghyuck responded, running clay covered fingers through his hair. "Your crush on Jeno's gotten worse."

"And why is that any of your business?"

"Because I want it to be," Donghyuck responded.

Jaemin pouted, pausing for a moment. "It is getting worse!" He whined quietly, not wanting Jeno to hear. "I like him so much and it sucks. I've liked him for a whole year now, but nothing's gonna happen, you know? He doesn't like me, and I'm too scared to ever admit it. He's just....he's just so cute." 

"You don't know that he doesn't like you."

Jaemin sighed. "I'm sure he doesn't." 

"I'm telling you, you don't know that for sure. I mean, I thought Mark would never like me." 

"Then...then why did you flirt with him so much?" 

"Because I wanted to at least try, you know?" Donghyuck explained. "I knew that having Mark was worth any amount of humiliation. Don't you feel that way?"

Jaemin flushed, looking down at the bowl, which Donghyuck had already finished, and ignored his statement. Donghyuck grinned, he knew that at least he was getting somewhere. So he spared a glance at Mark, and Mark looked back at him. Donghyuck gave the thumbs up, their symbol that Jaemin liked Jeno. Mark nodded, now it was his turn to pester. 

"So..." Mark started awkwardly. "Jaemin's your best friend, eh?"

Immediately, Jeno blushed, and Mark had to hide his smile. "Uh, yeah....my best friend." 

"He seems like a good best friend for you," Mark responded. He sighed, not knowing how he could possibly get this secret out of Jeno. "It must be weird not having a boyfriend at camp." 

"Yeah," Jeno responded dejectedly. 

"Would you date anyone at camp?" Mark asked. 

"Well..." Jeno started, shyly looking down at the clay. "Uh-huh. I really like someone here." 

"Who is it?"

"It's....I like Jaemin," Jeno whispered so only Mark could hear. He quickly sighed, leaning away. "I like him so much and it sucks. I've liked him for a whole year now, but nothing's gonna happen, you know? He doesn't like me, and I'm too scared to ever admit it. He's just....he's just so cute." 

Mark stared at the table in happy surprise, secretly making the thumbs up symbol where Jeno couldn't see. A short distance away, he heard Donghyuck squeal. 

"What was that?" Jeno asked. 

"Nothing," Mark responded. "But anyways, Jeno, let me just tell you: you definitely have more of a chance than you think." 

~~~~~~~~~~

After taking a bathroom break, Jungwoo returned to his seat with Yukhei. He crammed into the tiny chair, blushing as Yukhei's muscular thigh pressed against Jungwoo's much smaller one.

When Jungwoo looked at Yukhei, his face was contorted in shame. But when Jungwoo looked at the table, he realized: Yukhei had completely destroyed their bowl. It had been really beautiful before Jungwoo went to the bathroom, but now, it was a crumpled up mess. 

"I-I'm sorry," Yukhei stuttered. "My hands are too big." They both looked down at his massive, clay caked hands. 

"It's okay!" Jungwoo said cheerfully, he was too distracted by how close together they were to care about a stupid bowl. "I can fix it. Can you spin the thingie?"

Yukhei nodded and bit his lip, spinning the work table as Jungwoo threw himself into fixing up the bowl. He reformed the rim, got rid of the lumps on the inside, and even added a little design to the outside. When he was done he picked it up, nervously showing it to Yukhei. 

"Is it good?" Jungwoo asked, and Yukhei showed him that bright smile. 

"It's perfect. Let's put it in the kiln." Yukhei said, the pair standing up to walk to the shelves where people rested their bowls. "You always know how to make everything better." Yukhei smiled down at Jungwoo, and Jungwoo blushed back up. He still didn't know how to take all of Yukhei's compliments, but he was starting to accept now that they were going to come. 

Just behind them, Yuta and Renjun were walking up to the shelf. "I'm fucking glad this is over," Yuta grumbled to Renjun. "Like, what right does Kun have to come in, take my pottery partner from me, wrap his hands around my boyfriend's hands, and make really good bowls? How the fuck am I supposed to live up to that?" 

Renjun sighed; he'd been listening to Yuta's ranting for almost an hour, since they'd been the last two left to pair up for pottery. "Yes, Yuta, thanks for sharing." He started to walk back to the work tables. "If you wanna make another with me, you can." 

"I'm staying here," Yuta responded. 

"Hi," Sicheng suddenly spoke. Yuta looked around, noticing Kun wasn't there with him and perking up. 

"Hello love," he said, his demeanor changing in a matter of seconds. Sicheng placed his stupidly perfect looking bowl and looked back at Yuta.

"Can I have a hug?" He asked quietly. Yuta's heart burst at that and he pulled Sicheng into an almost too tight hug. But Sicheng just sighed back contentedly, snuggling into Yuta's arms.

"I miss you," Yuta mumbled into his hear. 

"Why?" Sicheng giggled obliviously. "I'm right here." 

Yuta sighed. "I know." 

"Sicheng!" Kun suddenly called, and Sicheng immediately left the hug. "Wanna make another bowl?"

"Yeah!" Sicheng responded, and Yuta tried to hide his crestfallen expression. "See you around!" 

"Yeah. See ya," Yuta respondedly clearly. He sighed, making sure all of Sicheng and Kun's bowls would be safe in the kiln. "That's why I miss you," he mumbled to himself. 

As Yuta left the shelf Doyoung and Jaehyun came up behind him, placing their bowls on the bottom. 

"I wonder what his problem is," Jaehyun mumbled as he walked away. Doyoung shrugged. 

"Probably the whole Sicheng thing." 

"Yeah," Jaehyun responded as they looked over the dishware they'd already made. A cup, two vases, a plate, and some bowls housed the bottom row where Doyoung and Jaehyun put their things, the phrase 'dojae' carved into the bottom of each one. 

"We did good this year," Jaehyun said. 

Doyoung nodded. "I want the plate." 

"But the plate's our best work!" Jaehyun whined back, just as Taeyong and Ten came to the kiln area (with Ten attempting to pull his shirt up to cover his neck).

"Which are yours?" Taeyong asked, and Jaehyun pointed. 

"Aw, fuck you guys! How come you're good at everything?" Ten whined. 

"Yeah, we haven't even made one. Including last year," Taeyong responded. 

"And whose fault is that?" Doyoung teased. Ten gave Doyoung the finger, and they walked away with a giggle. 

Back at the work tables, Johnny and Taeil were working on their second bowl, Taeil sitting on Johnny's lap so they could fit in their chair (they didn't want a repeat of last year, where Taeil fell of the chair and got a massive bruise right on his ass). 

They'd been concentrating so hard that when they looked up, they were both in a state of shock. 

"What the fuck is happening?" Taeil mouthed. Mark and Donghyuck were mouthing like crazy people at each other, Jungwoo was trying to salvage crumpled up pieces of clay, Yuta was glaring at Sicheng and Kun, Ten was trying and failing to hide his hickeys, Renjun was yelling at Chenle and Jisung, and Doyoung and Jaehyun were laughing maniacally at their friends. 

"Wait, where's Sehun?" Johnny asked. They both looked around until they finally spotted Sehun hidden behind the art shack. He, of course, was making out with his boyfriend, cigarette in hand. His boyfriend threw his cigarette into a nearby stream, and Taeil and Johnny shared a wide eyed look. 

"I think this is the only camp I've ever been to where the counselors are wilder than the campers," Taeil said with surprise, watching as their bowl collapsed into itself from their brief lapse in concentration. 

Johnny sighed. "Welcome to Camp Purple," he said, rubbing the top of Taeil's thigh, and they shared a smile. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy late thanksgiving to all of you who celebrate it! I am honestly thankful for all of my subscribers. Writing is the thing in my life that keeps me sane, motivated, and happy, so thank you all for supporting that! I hope you look forward to the rest of this story. 

After a few days straight of activities, the boys all just wanted a break. All eighteen of them crammed into E1, trying to think of what to do. 

"We can make friendship bracelets!" Sicheng suggested excitedly, and everyone agreed, Taeil and Johnny volunteering to get everyone the string. 

After taking everyone's color orders they left the cabin hand in hand, Taeil's small fingers interlacing with Johnny's much larger ones. 

"It's nice to get some peace and quiet, you know?" Johnny said softly, the sounds of children playing in the far off distance. The figured the younger ones must have had activities that day, as the rest of camp looked almost abandoned. 

"Yeah," Taeil said softly, briefly leaning against Johnny's side as they walked. He looked up at Johnny and smiled. Johnny looked down at him and right then, he noticed how much height difference there was between them. 

Taeil had to admit that part of him enjoyed being so much smaller than Johnny. Johnny was just so tall, big, and muscular; it made Taeil feel so protected. Whenever Johnny held him at night while they fell asleep, he was surrounded by warmth. He could just bury his face in Johnny's broad chest, and feel like everything was right with the world. 

But, part of him was a little salty, and he was going to complain about it, whether or not he really cared all that much. "It's unfair that you're so damn tall. Like, why did you get all this height and not me?" Taeil complained. 

Johnny chuckled and ruffled his hair. "But you're so tiny and cute," Johnny cooed. 

"Don't patronize me," Taeil responded, faking a glare. Johnny just kissed the top of his head, conitinuing to walk. 

"My dad is super tall though, blame him instead," Johnny said. 

"So is my dad!" Taeil whined. "So unfair," he mumbled. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Once Johnny and Taeil got everyone their string, Taeyong and Ten were sitting in a corner, making bracelets. Ten finished his quite quickly. 

"Do you want this?" He offered to Taeyong. Taeyong showed him his wrist, which was already adorned with bracelets. 

"I have at least five from last year." 

"Me too," Ten admitted, showing Taeyong his own wrist. 

"We could give it to the kids?" Taeyong suggested, and Ten immediately smiled. 

"That's a great idea!" 

Ten stood up from his spot and walked across the cabin, tiptoeing over long limbs until he got to where Chenle and Jisung were sitting. They were attempting to make bracelets themselves; since it was their first time they were a bit slow, but they looked quite nice. Ten felt Taeyong's presence behind him, and he knew Taeyong had a bracelet for them too. 

"Sungie, I made you a bracelet," Ten said with a grin. Jisung beamed up at Ten. 

"Really?"

Ten nodded, crouching down to tie it on Jisung's small wrist. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Taeyong doing the same with Chenle. "Do you like it?"

"I love it! Thanks mom," Jisung said casually to Ten. Ten immediately froze, trying to stop the smile from coming onto his face. Even though he was just a fifteen year old boy, he already felt so protective in a frankly motherly way of Chenle and Jisung, and to hear them get called that just made him feel so good. 

"No problem," Ten responded as he and Taeyong walked back to their spot. 

"Chenle just called me dad!" Taeyong whispered as soon as they were out of earshot of the kids. 

"Jisung called me mom!" Ten responded, and the tried to restrain themselves from excited squealing. 

"Wait...where's Jungwoo?" Doyoung suddenly asked as the boys sat on the floor of the cabin. They all looked up from their friendship bracelets, eyes scanning the room. Jungwoo normally went unnoticed anyways, since he was quite quiet, but to not hear a peep out of him was strange. 

"He's not in here," Jaehyun responded slowly. 

"Where could he be?" Taeyong asked, looking up at Yukhei expectantly. 

"I don't actually know," Yukhei responded. "He's been acting weird all day. He looked so sad and he's been avoiding me too. I tried looking for him earlier but I couldn't find him." 

Doyoung got up immediately. "I'm gonna go look for him." Yukhei made a move to stand up with him, but Doyoung brushed him away. "I kinda want to be alone anyways." Yukhei sat back, the worried look still on his face, as Doyoung pushed his way out of the cabin. 

Worry began to bubble in his stomach. Where could Jungwoo be? Jungwoo was always with Yukhei, and if not himself, plus everyone else was in the cabin. But if Jungwoo wanted some alone time, wouldn't he have told Yukhei? He would've known the others would go out to look for him. 

Doyoung scoured every area of camp he could think of: the dining hall, the ledge, the bridges, the field, the pool, the art shack, and even the store. Doyoung sighed, about to go all the way down to the beach, when he realized he should check in the bathroom. 

He pushed his way into the bathroom, loud crying turning to muffled sniffles at the sound of the old wooden door creaking. 

"Jungwoo?" Doyoung called. No response. "Jungwoo, I know you're in here." Doyoung sighed at the silence, toying with every stall door until he got to one that was locked. "Jungwoo, come on. Tell me what's going on." 

Hesitantly, the door opened. A very tearful Jungwoo was crouched inside, sitting on top of the toilet seat with red rimmed eyes and teary cheeks. "Jungwoo, what's going on?" Doyoung asked with genuine worry. Even though they'd just become friends, he truly didn't like seeing Jungwoo like this.

Jungwoo stood up and closed the stall door so he and Doyoung were stuck inside. He sniffled a little before talking. "W-well, Yukhei and I are really close, right?" Doyoung nodded expectantly, trying not to get the urge to kill Yukhei despite not knowing what he did. "And...and, nobody has ever flirted with me before, right? B-but Yukhei was acting so weird with me, I guess I just assumed he was flirting. I assumed wrong," Jungwoo finished with a pout. 

"What happened?" Doyoung cried, trying not to get super angry on Jungwoo's behalf. 

"S-so last night I wrote him a letter telling him how I felt, because I was too scared to say it in person. I put it in the pocket of the jacket he always wears. And today he put on the jacket, but...nothing. He hasn't said anything about it to me. He must be ignoring it to make sure I don't feel bad. But I just feel worse!" At this, Jungwoo began to cry again, his face in his hands. 

"So you're saying...you gave Yukhei a love note, and he hasn't said anything about it to you, so you think he rejected you?" 

Jungwoo nodded, and Doyoung pulled him into a hug. Jungwoo hugged back tightly with a pout. 

"I'm gonna go have a talk with him, alright?" Doyoung said softly. "You can come back with me, but if you're too embarrassed you can stay here too." 

"I-I'm gonna stay," Jungwoo said softly, crouching onto the chair. Doyoung ruffled his hair affectionately. 

"I promise everything will work out for the best. I know that's probably not what you wanna hear right now, but if he doesn't like you, then I promise he wasn't good enough for you in the first place." 

At this, Jungwoo managed the tiniest of smiles. "I'll be back soon," Doyoung promised, and Jungwoo nodded. 

Doyoung left the stall and Jungwoo locked it behind him, Doyoung rushing to Yukhei. Yes, he knew Yukhei could be a bit of a ditz sometimes, but he didn't think he was capable of being that cruel to Jungwoo. 

As soon as he reached their cabin, instead of going all the way in he just stuck his head through the door. "Yukhei, I need to talk to you."

Yukhei nodded immediately, putting his hands in his jean pockets and following Doyoung out. Doyoung noticed he really was wearing a letterman football jacket, the one he seemed to wear every day. 

Doyoung and Yukhei walked a short distance from the cabin, and Doyoung could see Yukhei was quite nervous. Doyoung knew he could be mean if he wanted to, but maybe part of Yukhei's nerves had to do with Jungwoo. 

"What's going on with Jungwoo?" Yukhei asked immediately, worry evident in his tone. 

"Did Jungwoo...give you anything?" Doyoung asked, ignoring Yukhei's question. 

Yukhei shook his head. "No. He's barely talked to me all day." 

"When's the last time you looked in your pockets?" 

"I dunno," Yukhei responded with a laugh. Doyoung released a deep sigh; of course Yukhei just hadn't noticed Jungwoo's note. 

"Why don't you check them right now?" 

Yukhei began to dig through his pockets, Doyoung hearing the sound of old napkins and crumpled plastic inside, until finally Yukhei pulled out a piece of paper with Jungwoo's handwriting etched on. 

"I'm gonna leave you to process that alone. Goodbye," Doyoung said, soothed now that he knew Yukhei hadn't intended to cause any harm. 

As Doyoung walked away, Yukhei began to read the letter:

"Dear Yukhei, 

I know we haven't known each other for very long but we spend a lot of time together here at camp. You're so kind, and funny, and strong, and handsome. I can't stop my feelings for you. I know I'm not good enough for your love but I want to try, because you've been flirting with me so much that I think I might have a chance. I want to be able to have you hold me and kiss me without it being a truth or dare game. I want to be able to call you my boyfriend so bad. I hope you feel the same way. Xuxi, I like you. 

Yours, 

Jungwoo." 

With a beaming smile growing on Yukhei's lips and hands shaking with excitement, he folded up the note as gently as possible and put it in his jeans pocket (the one not stuffed with trash). He began to walk quickly, turning into a run as he approached the cabin. When he finally stepped inside, he was almost frantic. 

"Where's Jungwoo?" Yukhei asked Doyoung ecstatically as he put the note in the most safe place in all his luggage. 

"Boys bathroom," Doyoung answered, and Yukhei was too distracted to see the knowing smile on Doyoung's lips. 

Yukhei ran down the pathway, bursting into the boy's bathroom to come up on Jungwoo washing his face with a heartbroken expression. 

"I like you too!" Yukhei yelled. Jungwoo jumped back and turned around; he hadn't noticed Yukhei enter the bathroom. 

"Wh-what?"

"I like you a lot! So much!" Yukhei said, practically bouncing on his toes. "I liked you from the first moment I saw you. I want to be your boyfriend too!"

Jungwoo still stood frozen in shock and confusion. "R-really? But I'm-" 

"You're perfect, Jungwoo," Yukhei said more softly now, taking a step closer to Jungwoo. 

"But-- the note--" 

"I just didn't notice it in my pocket," Yukhei explained. "I just read it a few minutes ago. And I'm freaking out. Because I had a feeling you liked me but I didn't know if you'd ever admit it to me, and I was waiting to be sure you liked me." 

Yukhei took another step in closer, letting his hands gently wrap around Jungwoo's waist. Jungwoo looked up at him, cheeks flushed, as Yukhei played with his hair. 

"I like you," Yukhei mumbled. "Can you be my boyfriend now?"

Jungwoo nodded vigorously, looking at Yukhei's face with his wide eyes. "Y-yes, please." He said gently, a big soft smile on his face. 

"Why are you shaking?" Yukhei asked. 

"I-I'm nervous...and happy....and you're shaking too!" Jungwoo said back. 

"I am?" Yukhei asked, looking down and yes, he was shaking. "Wow! I guess you make me nervous too," Yukhei admitted, and Jungwoo bit his lip to stop himself from giggling. 

"Xuxi? Can I ask you something?" Jungwoo said quietly, and Yukhei looked down at him expectantly. "Can you kiss me again?" 

Yukhei grinned widely. "Of course, baby." And he leaned in closer. 


	11. The Feud Begins

It was a little over a week into camp when Yuta decided he was fed up. 

After breakfast, the eighteen boys decided to head back to cabin E2 to relax. As Yuta looked around, it felt like everyone had someone to hold: Johnny and Taeil, taking a nap together on their bed. Ten, sat on Taeyong's lap, with Chenle and Jisung leaning on each other all talking. Doyoung and Jaehyun making more friendship bracelets on their own bed. The newly formed couple of Jungwoo and Yukhei sitting on Yukhei's bed, whispering sweet nothings into each other's ears. Mark and Donghyuck, muttering and giggling to themselves. Jeno and Jaemin, with Renjun pulled between them to lessen their romantic tension, all coming in close to watch a video on Jeno's phone. 

That left Yuta alone. He sat on the floor, while Kun and Sicheng cuddled on his bed, while Kun cuddled with his boyfriend. All he had to do was look up to see Sicheng's leg swung over Kun's, talking and laughing together, Kun's hand rubbing up and down Sicheng's arm.   
There were so many things Yuta didn't understand. Why was Kun going after his boyfriend so strong? Why was Sicheng going along with it? Yuta was practically fuming at this point. He couldn't take it any morep; he was fed up. 

He stood, tall over Kun's fairly small frame. "Can I talk to you?" He asked, trying to hide his rage but mostly failing. 

Kun nodded. "Yeah, sure," he said, pretending not to know why Yuta was so upset. 

Yuta led Kun outside, walking a short distance away from the cabin. He didn't want Sicheng to hear him so angry. 

He swallowed thickly, trying to keep calm as best he could. He really just wanted all this to be over, so he could go back to loving Sicheng properly; he didn't want a massive fight.

"Hello Kun," Yuta started, schooling his voice into a deliberately polite tone. 

"Hey," Kun responded, as if nothing was wrong, and Yuta's blood boiled at the sound. 

"I think we need to have a talk." 

"Shoot, then." 

Yuta sighed deeply. "So...I don't want to be possessive. I'm not possessive. And...I'm fine with you being friends with Sicheng. I'm not going to restrict him from having friends. But...all the flirting has got to stop. Sicheng is my boyfriend, and I know it seems sorta ridiculous since he's perfect and I'm just...me, but you have to respect that. Please. I'm asking you politely." 

Kun paused for a moment to articulate his words, then sighed. "See, Yuta, the problem is....I can't do that." His tone had no malice in it, but Yuta's fists clenched anyways. "I really, really, really like Sicheng. Like you said, he is perfect. I can't help but fall for him. And...I just think I'd be better for him, you know? We're good friends already. He likes being around me. Anyways, his parents aren't too keen on you, so he's told me. He said it doesn't matter to him, but....down the line he may want someone who can make both him and his family happy. So..yeah. I won't step off. I'm sorry."

"You're not fucking sorry," Yuta growled, and Kun shrugged, then sighed. When Kun didn't look like he was going to respond, Yuta spoke again. "Kun...we could still be friends, if you let me and Sicheng be." 

"I don't think that's gonna happen. Like I said, I can't do that." 

"Alright, if you want to be that way, then so be it. I tried to do this the nice way. I don't fucking like you, and if you're not going to stay away from what's mine then I'll have to make you." 

Kun shrugged again. "Be my guest. Try to do that without pissing off Sicheng." 

Yuta inhaled and exhaled, trying to keep still. "It's fucking on, kid." 

"That's fine by me," Kun responded with a small grin, and he proceeded to walk back to the cabin. Yuta watched him go with his eyes squinted. He knew if he went back he'd do something stupid, but at the same time he didn't want to leave Kun alone with Sicheng. He sighed, going down to the ledge. If he wanted to win Sicheng's heart, again, he'd have to think. 

~~~~~~~~~~

"I'm so glad I don't have to worry about you," Donghyuck said gently, looking down at Yuta, Kun, and Sicheng. "No one's trying to steal you away." 

"Me too. Plus I'm glad we're already together. And we already finished the dilemma of whether or not you like me," Mark answered. The two of them crammed together in the corner of Taeil and Johnny's bed, Mark resting his head on Donghyuck's shoulder. Donghyuck scooted in closer to Mark, trying to hide from the rest of the cabin how he was affectionately playing with Mark's slim fingers. 

Mark had to admit that he was a little starstruck. The honest truth was that he'd thought Donghyuck was handsome from the moment they'd laid eyes on each other the year before at camp. Even though Donghyuck came in super strong, which overwhelmed Mark quite a bit, Donghyuck was the first guy to ever pay attention to Mark like he'd always secretly wanted. And even his overtly flirtatious side had calmed down over the school year: now, he was just pure loving. 

"Can we take a picture for snapchat?" Mark asked, pulling his phone out of his back pocket. 

"Yeah, of course babe," Donghyuck answered. Mark picked out the doggy filter and took a photo, Mark smiling softly and Donghyuck smiling brightly as Mark still had his head on Donghyuck's shoulder. He immediately captioned the story 'glad to be with you again' with a heart emoji and posted it to his story, as well as sent the photo to his few friends from school. 

"You want people to know you're dating me?" Donghyuck asked teasingly. 

"Didn't I tell you? Everyone laughed at me last year because they thought I was making you up. I'm trying to prove you're existence. Really, people at school think I'm the undateable one." 

"Why the fuck would that be?" Donghyuck asked. 

Mark hummed. "I dunno, I'm kinda dorky." 

"That's good then. Because so am I," Donghyuck answered, biting his lip. Mark turned his eyes at the sight, Donghyuck's attractiveness overwhelming him, before placing a peck on Donghyuck's lips in a brief moment of PDA. 

"Aw!" Johnny immediately cooed, briefly waking up from his nap. 

"You guys are so cute," Taeil mumbled before falling back asleep on Johnny's chest. 

"Speaking of dorks..." Donghyuck mumbled. 

"Johnny and Taeil?" Mark asked. Donghyuck shook his head and subtely gestured to Jeno and Jaemin. 

"Camp time is ticking away. Jaemin's my friend, and I don't want him to waste it," Donghyuck said. 

"We have to get them completely alone." 

"Renjun!" Donghyuck immediately called. Renjun stood up with a groan and padded over to the couple. 

"What is it?" 

"Come sit with us!" Mark said, patting the space next to he and Donghyuck to sit. With a confused expression, Renjun sat down. 

"Jeno, Jaemin, bring us cereal!" Donghyuck yelled. 

"Why?" Jaemin whined. 

"Because I'm your friend," Donghyuck answered. 

"Please?" Renjun added. Jeno and Jaemin rolled their eyes and stood up, staring to walk out of the cabin with grumpy expressions. 

"Can't Mark and Hyuck just get it themselves?" Jeno groaned as he and Jaemin left the cabin. 

"I know, right!" Jaemin whined back, the two of them walking the bath together in uncomfortable silence. Jaemin knew exactly what Donghyuck was doing with this weird scheme of his, and despite the annoyance, he did have to admit it was nice to be alone with Jeno. 

Just looking at Jeno made Jaemin blush. He remembered the first time they saw each other last year at camp: Jaemin had felt so beaten down at school; enduring teasing without friends for two years straight as he attempted to navigate the torturous waters of the middle school social scene. He was just too effeminate, too touchy feely, for any of the other boys to want to be his friend. And the girls just latched on too, so Jaemin was alone. 

But then he walked into camp and Jeno was there. He'd been so cute, even at twelve years old, and Jaemin had been nervous to even approach him. No way was he cool enough to even be friends with this kid! But Jeno actually ended up approaching him, asking him if he wanted to play volleyball with the others. He joined, and they'd been attached at the hip ever since: doing activities with counselor Chanyeol, whispering in their cabin way past their bedtime, going along with all of Donghyuck's silly schemes and antics. Jaemin liked Jeno romantically from the moment he saw him. Even if Jeno didn't feel that way back, Jaemin couldn't stop how he felt. Jeno had just done too much for him, had made him happy for the first time in a long while. 

"I'm glad to be back at camp," Jeno said suddenly, sighing as a breeze brushed through his hair. 

"Me too," Jaemin responded. It was true, all his friends weren't at school, they were here. 

"All my friends are here, not at school," Jeno explained, voicing his thoughts exactly. 

"Me too," Jaemin answered again, too shy to come up with a better response. 

"I don't wanna go back home. Then I won't have anyone to hang out with." 

"Really? Don't you have any friends at home?" Jaemin cried with surprise. He was shocked; he thought Jeno would be at least a little popular. He was so sporty and handsome, not to mention friendly and very nice. 

Jeno shook his head sadly. "People aren't very nice to me back home," he admitted. Jaemin was still surprised, but he understood his feelings completely. 

"Do you get bullied?" Jeno nodded shyly.  

"Why?" Jaemin asked.

"Because I like boys," Jeno responded. "It only started this year though. But it still hurt." 

Jaemin, in a moment of confidence, rubbed his arm back. "I'm really sorry. I know what you mean. People bullied me in middle school too." 

"What for?" Jeno asked, also with surprise. 

"Liking boys too," Jaemin said. "And being ugly." 

"Wh-what?" 

"Everyone says I'm ugly." 

"There's nothing ugly about you. Literally nothing. You're beautiful and handsome on the inside and the outside, I swear Jaemin." 

At Jeno's words Jaemin flushed a bright red, freezing and staring down at the grass beneath him, waving with the slight wind. Jeno had sounded so sincere that Jaemin had to believe what he said; Jaemin hadn't been complimented like that in a long, long time. 

"Th-thank you, Jeno," Jaemin said very quietly, fiddling with his hands. 

"You're welcome." 

Jaemin finally found the courage to look up at Jeno's face, his eyes alternating between the ground and Jeno. He could see Jeno doing the same, a shy look in his eyes, and he could feel a strange tension growing that hadn't been there before. The butterflies in Jaemin's stomach intensified to where he thought he might throw them all up, and he didn't quite know what to do. 

"Uh, Mark and Hyuck and Renjun are probably waiting for their cereal," Jeno said awkwardly, and Jaemin had a feeling that Jeno might have been experiencing that same tension too. 

"Y-yeah," Jaemin answered, still avoiding eye contact. "Let's go get it." 

They walked quietly into the dining hall, grabbing enough cereal for their friends and themselves in silence before starting the walk back. 

"I'm sorry that people at school are mean to you though," Jeno spoke. "It's not right." 

Jaemin shrugged. "It'll be alright. High school starts next year anyways, and most of my old classmates aren't going to the same one I am." 

"I'm really glad," Jeno admitted, smiling at Jaemin just when Jaemin had the courage to look up at him again. 

"And you? Do you think high school will make things better?" 

Jeno nodded. "I really hope so. But at the very least...I get to spend the summer with my real friends." 


	12. What Happens at Truth or Dare (Stays at Truth or Dare)

At the end of the day, the boys were genuinely exhausted. Somehow, Sehun had roped all of them into helping his boyfriend with an activity for his campers. That meant trying to control a massive group of five to seven year olds and teach them how to play capture the flag. Safe to say, it was a difficult venture, and at the end of dinner they decided they all wanted to do something a little more teenager-ish. 

That's why they all found themselves in cabin E2, sitting in a circle on the floor, about to begin a game of truth or dare. 

"I'll go," Taeyong volunteered. "Sungie, truth or dare?" 

"Dare?" Jisung responded hesitantly, and Taeyong ruffled his hair, trying to think of something innocent. 

"Hm...go steal something from one of the counselors." 

"Dad! What if I get in trouble?" Jisung asked. 

"Tell them it was my fault. They'll believe you," he responded. Jisung rolled his eyes but stood up, running out of the cabin. 

"You're a terrible father, you know," Doyoung said once Jisung was out of earshot. 

"On the contrary, I think I'm a great father. I'm teaching him survival tactics. It's a dog eat dog world out there." 

"You're such an idiot," Taeil mumbled under his breath. 

Within a few minutes Jisung was back, the boys looking up brightly when Jisung had a smile on his face. 

"See, I told you it would be fine," Taeyong said to Jisung with a smile as Jisung dropped two very large bag of chips in the middle of the circle. 

"You're welcome," Jisung responded as he snuggled in between Ten and Chenle, the other boys diving at the chips like animals. 

Once an entire bag was completely devoured, the boys calmed down and went back to their spots in the circle. 

"It's your turn," Chenle whispered to Jisung and he nodded, looking around the circle. 

"Um....Taeil, truth or dare?" Jisung asked. 

"I'll go with dare too." 

"Do the...uh... tongue kiss thing with Johnny. For twenty seconds," Jisung said. 

"Do you mean french kissing?" Johnny asked.

"Yeah," Jisung clarified with a smile and a nod. 

"How do you know what that is?" Ten cried loudly. 

"Donghyuck explained a lot of stuff to me last year." 

Ten and Taeyong shot Donghyuck a glare and Donghyuck grinned back at them. 

"Well, I'm happy to do that," Johnny spoke, turning towards his boyfriend and cupping his chin gently. Taeil's cheeks turned pink but he smiled back at Johnny, letting him lean in and press their lips together. 

Nerves immediately bubbled up in Taeil's stomach; he was sure Johnny had done this before but Taeil hadn't, and he didn't want to disappoint his boyfriend. He hoped Johnny wouldn't judge him too much, knowing how inexperienced he was. 

Johnny kept their kiss gentle and chaste for only a moment before swiping his tongue against Taeil's lower lip, the foreign sensation sending a shudder down his spine. Taeil opened his mouth and Johnny moved his whole body closer, their chests pressed together in front of everyone as Johnny's tongue made its way through Taeil's mouth. Taeil hesitantly let his tongue slide back against Johnny's, holding back the frankly embarrassing noise that threatened to escape his throat. 

"Your time is up! Guys!" Doyoung shouted and Johnny and Taeil pulled away. Taeil blushed and tried to hide his face, his whole body feeling hot, but Johnny just bit his lip with a prideful look in his eyes. 

"That was...so weird," Chenle commented.

"What do you mean? That was fucking hot. I was not expecting Taeil to be sexy at all," Donghyuck responded. Mark jokingly slapped Donghyuck's arm and Taeil flushed even more. 

"U-uh it's, uh, my turn, right?" Taeil spoke, still in a daze. "Chenle, truth or dare?"

"I'm picking truth, because that was weird," Chenle responded.

"Um, do you like anyone?" Taeil asked, the first question that came to his fried brain. 

Immediately, Chenle's eyes widened unimaginably and he blushed a bright pink. Everyone looked at him curiously; nobody was expecting the answer to be yes. 

"Yes," Chenle answered very quietly; the sound of him speaking in a soft voice almost unrecognizable in their ears. 

"Who is it?" Renjun asked with genuine curiosity. 

"Th-that's not part of the question!" Chenle cried, looking straight ahead to avoid anyone's eyes. "I don't have to answer." 

"Come on!" Jaehyun whined teasingly. 

"I'm not saying it," Chenle responded surprisingly firmly. "Johnny, truth or dare?"

"Uh, dare, I guess," Johnny said, still overwhelmed by Chenle's answer and french kissing Taeil for the first time. 

"Go pinch Taeil's nipple," Chenle responded with his arms crossed. 

"Ooh!" Yukhei teased, and Chenle smiled; for once he wanted the attention off of him. 

"Can't believe Jisung and Chenle are trying to give me a boner," Johnny mumbled so quietly only Taeil could hear, who immediately grimaced at him. 

"You're lucky I know the context of that, or else I'd have to kill you," Taeil answered. 

Johnny chuckled. "Just come here, babe." 

As Taeil contemplated the fact that his first timer french kissing gave Johnny a boner, Johnny surreptitiously pinched Taeil's nipple through his hoodie. 

"Eep!" Taeil squealed, clutching his chest and pouting. "Everyone needs to leave the two of us alone, from now on." 

Johnny grinned at Taeil before looking around the room. "Jaemin, truth or dare?"

"Dare please!" Jaemin answered. He did not want to get asked about who he liked. 

"Hmm," Johnny thought, trying to get a dare that wasn't too dirty for the thirteen year old boy. Donghyuck, who was sitting directly next to him, turned and whispered something in his ear, and Johnny smiled back. Jaemin immediately frowned; this could not mean anything good. 

"I dare you to kiss Jeno," Johnny said. 

"I'm going to fucking kill you," Jaemin deliberately mouthed to Donghyuck, who just smirked back at him, before crawling over to Jeno. The two boys avoided each other's eyes, fiddling with their hands and adjusting where they sat. 

"Uh, how does this work again?" Jeno asked, trying to sound casual but really it came off as incredibly nervous. 

"Lean in, make a kissy face, close your eyes, then touch your lips. Oh yeah, don't just leave your hands dangling either," Yukhei responded. Jaemin and Jeno nodded at him before shrugging at each other, cheeks stained pink, and following Yukhei's suggestion. Jaemin put his hands on Jeno's shoulders and Jeno left his hands a little above Jaemin's waist, trying desperately to avoid touching anywhere sensitive. Both stood still before suddenly, Jeno began to lean in, and Jaemin shut his eyes just in time before their lips were together. 

He immediately felt sparks on every one of his nerve endings, both a little scared and a lot happy all at once. Jeno's lips were so soft and lovely against his own, trembling a little bit where he sat, not knowing what exactly was happening but loving every moment of it. 

They both pulled away at the same time, slowly, a little uncomfortably but still excitedly. Jaemin briefly looked up to see Jeno smiling shyly back at him. He returned the smile before nervously scurrying back to his seat. 

"That was so cute!" Jaehyun cried. 

"Aww," Kun cooed. 

"Shut up!" Jeno and Jaemin whined simultaneously. 

"Told ya," Donghyuck mouthed to Jaemin.

"Yuta!" Jaemin said loudly, trying to draw the attention off of himself and Jeno. "Truth or dare?"

"I'll pick truth," Yuta answered. He hoped maybe through a good question, he could prove his love for Sicheng. 

"Are you in love?" Jaemin answered, and everyone ooh'd and ahh'd at the question. 

"Yes. Of course," Yuta answered, smiling down at Sicheng, his arm wrapped around him. Sicheng looked up at him shyly but with a huge smile, and for once Kun was the one glaring in the distance. "He's my soulmate," he announced to the whole group. 

Everyone (minus Kun) aww'd at the couple, and Yuta's eyes proudly circled the couple for who to ask. 

"Donghyuck, truth or dare?" 

"Dare's always more fun," Donghyuck answered. 

Yuta thought for a moment then laughed, his hand rubbing circles on Sicheng's waist. "I'm gonna make you really happy, Donghyuck. Go make out with Mark and bite his lip." 

"You, my friend, are a king! Bless you, Yuta," Donghyuck said before turning to Mark and pressing their lips together. 

Last year, nobody had believed Donghyuck when he claimed he'd kissed a bunch of people before. But kissing him now, Mark had to believe him. Maybe it was because Donghyuck was so adorable and sweet and hot and his literal boyfriend, but kissing him gave Mark butterflies every single time. Donghyuck knew exactly where to put his hands (chaste, of course), how to tilt his head, how to lead Mark. Mark just had to follow. 

Mark squeaked a little bit when Donghyuck bit his lip lightly, pulling away. It was a weird sensation, but Mark had to admit, it was a little bit...sexy. He blushed fiercely, curling up into a ball sort of away from Donghyuck. 

"I'm disgusted that I thought that was hot," Renjun said. 

"I'm disgusted by your face," Donghyuck answered, giving Mark a momentary smirk. "Kun, truth or dare?"

"I'll pick dare," he answered. Donghyuck threw Yuta a wink before looking back at Kun. "Tennie, don't you have those toy handcuffs? Kun, I dare you to handcuff your wrists together the rest of the night." 

Kun groaned and Ten brought out the handcuffs, Sicheng doing the honors of handcuffing Kun. Yuta gave Kun an arrogant grin, before giving Donghyuck a grateful thumbs up. Donghyuck thought he owed Yuta for giving him that terrific dare. 

"Jeno, truth or dare?" Kun asked dejectedly. 

"T-truth," Jeno answered shyly, still a little dazed from kissing Jaemin. 

"Hmm...was Jaemin a good kisser?"

Jeno couldn't stop himself from smiling, directing his eyes to the floor. "Yeah. It was really nice. I mean...th-that was my first kiss, but I mean, I'm sure Jaemin was, uh, really good." 

"You two have now surpassed Donghyuck and Mark as the cutest of the baby couples," Taeil announced. 

"Where they ever the cutest?" Doyoung questioned. 

"Anyways!" Jeno said loudly. "Doyoung, truth or dare?" 

Jaehyun nudged Doyoung's ribs, and Doyoung rolled his eyes. "Fine, dare." 

"Sit on Jaehyun's lap for the rest of the game."

Doyoung repeated his eye roll and Jaehyun smiled, patting his thighs. Doyoung nestled into his lap with a glare, and Jaehyun wrapped his arms around Doyoung tightly. 

"Renjun, truth or dare?"

"These dares are fucking scary. I pick truth." 

"Okay, I know you're straight. But if you absolutely had to date someone at camp, who would it be?"

Renjun sighed loudly as Doyoung leaned against Jaehyun's chest. "Ugh, that's so hard, because I don't think I'd date any of you even if I was gay. But I guess...Jeno or Jaemin. They're objectively attractive, close to my age, and not disgusting." 

"Not disgusting? From Renjun, that's a compliment," Chenle teased. "You two should feel honored." Jeno and Jaemin laughed, and Renjun rolled his eyes. 

"Ten, truth or dare?" 

"Truth," Ten answered. 

"Since when are you so boring?" Yuta asked him. 

"Maybe I want to answer a sexy question once in a while." 

"From a thirteen year old?" Johnny cried. 

"Guys! Let me ask," Renjun interrupted. "Okay...how does gay sex work?" 

"Wait, what?" Ten asked. 

"I'm serious! Nobody here will explain it to me. I figured you would know." 

"Um, okay....." Ten said, trying to figure out how to phrase it without disturbing his children. 

"Donghyuck explained it to us last year," Chenle and Jisung said simultaneously. 

"So you don't have to be cautious,"Jisung added. 

Ten nodded. "Well, um...okay. Dick goes in butt." 

"Oooh!" Renjun responded, his eyes lighting up and nodding in realization. "Alright. That makes sense."

"Is it my turn?" Ten asked, and everyone nodded at him. "Mark, truth or dare?"

Mark grimaced; he knew it would be sexual if it was coming from Ten. "Uh, truth," he answered, just to be on the safe side. 

"What made you fall for Donghyuck?" He asked. 

"Wait, Ten? Not asking a sexual question? What is this?" Johnny teased. 

"Come on, guys. I didn't want to freak the kid out. I was his first kiss, you know. I know him pretty well." 

"You were Mark's first kiss?" Jeno cried in confusion. 

Ten nodded. "We all played spin the bottle last year," Sicheng clarified. 

"Weird," Chenle mumbled. 

"Anyways, answer the question," Taeil said. 

Mark flushed just thinking of his answer. "Um, to be honest...I fell for Donghyuck because he's so funny. He always makes me laugh. And, he's really caring to me. He always makes me feel special." 

"Awww!" Yukhei cooed, and Donghyuck smiled at Mark before pecking him on the lips. Mark beamed at Donghyuck, and Donghyuck smiled back at him. 

"Go, you sick lovebirds," Doyoung said. 

"Oh, oh yeah!" Mark said, turning away from Donghyuck and physically shaking his head. "Jaehyun, truth or dare?"

"Um, truth," Jaehyun answered. 

"Hmm.... what is your secret kink?" Mark asked, with a shy yet smug grin. 

"Is Mark stealing Ten's job?" Yuta asked. 

"Come on, I'm curious," Taeyong said, and all eyes were on Jaehyun, except for Doyoung's. He was staring at the floor, trying not to blush while he was still seated on Jaehyun's lap. 

"Uh...um..." Jaehyun started, looking off to the side to avoid seeing even the back of Doyoung's head. "It's...like, hair pulling. I dunno, like tugging on a guy's hair." 

"That is hot," Taeyong said. 

"I'll kill you," Doyoung mumbled to Taeyong, but he was almost red in color. 

"Yukhei, truth or dare?" Jaehyun asked, his voice more quiet than before. 

"Dare," Yukhei responded, grinning at Jungwoo who was resting his head on his shoulder before looking back at Jaehyun. 

"Let Jungwoo straddle you for the rest of the night." 

"Oh absolutely," Yukhei answered with a smirk, looking over at Jungwoo. "Cm'here," he mumbled, and after a brief glance at Yukhei, Jungwoo climbed onto his lap. Yukhei carressed the back of Jungwoo's head with one and held his back steady with the other. Jungwoo shyly buried his face in Yukhei's chest. 

"We just started dating two days ago," Jungwoo whined, quietly enough for only Yukhei to hear. 

"This is pretty cuddly though," Yukhei responded, kissing the top of Jungwoo's forehead, and finally Jungwoo smiled up at him. "Sicheng, truth or dare?" 

"Uh, truth," Sicheng answered; he didn't want them to make him do anything weird with Kun. 

"Do you think Kun is cute?" Yukhei asked. 

Sicheng didn't know what to say; obviously he didn't want to make Yuta jealous, but more than that he didn't want to hurt Kun's feelings. Anyways, he thought Kun was objectively cute, even if he wasn't Sicheng's type. 

"Uh...yeah?" Sicheng answered hesitantly. Even though he wasn't looking right at Yuta, he could feel him tense and frown, and when he looked at Kun, Kun grinned brightly back at him. Everyone in the room could feel the tension in the air, and Sicheng just wanted it to stop. 

"Jungwoo, truth or dare?"

"I pick truth," Jungwoo answered very quietly. 

"What is your favorite body part on Yukhei? Not his face," Sicheng said. 

Jungwoo thought for a moment. "Probably his chest," Jungwoo answered. 

"Oh, sexy," Yukhei teased, looking down at his boyfriend who was still straddled across his lap. 

"No, not like that! I mean, well, of course it is that too, um....I-I like it because it's so big and cuddly," Jungwoo said. 

"Chest is kind of a sexy answer no matter how you phrase it," Mark teased. 

"Taeyongie! Truth or dare!" Jungwoo said loudly. 

"Let's finish this out with a dare," Taeyong responded. 

"What should tell him to do? Kiss Ten?" Jungwoo whispered to Yukhei. 

"No way, they do that all the time. Tell him to be the little spoon and Ten to be the big one when they sleep." 

"Okay! Taeyong, tonight you have to be the little spoon and Ten has to be the big one when you sleep."

"But then I'll be cold!" Ten whined. 

"Come on guys, I think it's time for bed," Taeyong said, shaking Jisung awake to walk him to his room. The others agreed, the E1 boys heading back to their cabin, as the rest of them crawled into their beds. 

Jungwoo was about to get off of Yukhei's lap when suddenly, Yukhei picked him up. Jungwoo squeaked loudly, wrapping his legs tightly around Yukhei's waist, before Yukhei threw both of them onto his bed. 

"Sleep with me now," Yukhei said with a big grin. "Then you won't have to be on the floor." Jungwoo really wanted to, but he was a little shy because they only just started dating. "I'll be the big spoon," Yukhei whispered, and Jungwoo immediately grinned. Cuddling did sound nice. 

"Okay," he responded with a giggle. He left his sleeping bag out in the middle of the floor and let Yukhei drape the covers over him, Yukhei wrapping his much larger body around Jungwoo's. Yukhei placed a kiss to Jungwoo's soft cheek, and Jungwoo couldn't stop smiling. 

"Goodnight baby," he whispered softly as Taeil got up to turn off the lights. The boys all said goodnight, and the boys started to fall asleep. 

That is, until the bed frame around Jungwoo began to squeak softly. "That's just Taeyong and Ten," Yukhei explained as Jungwoo grimaced. "You'll get used to it." 

Jungwoo frowned until Yukhei threw his arm over Jungwoo protectively. Even though Taeyong and Ten were gross, this was going to be amazing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! How are you all enjoying the story so far-- leave a comment and let me know! Warning, finals week is coming up soon for me so I might give you all slower updates (or not, I sometimes update this fic to procrastinate). Do you guys enjoy the truth or dare chapters? Honestly, theyre some of my favorite chapters to write, but idk...let me know what you think! I love you all~


	13. Simply Cute

It was one of those days at Camp Purple when the sun was just unbearable. Camp was always pretty warm in the daytime, perfect at twilight, and freezing cold at night. But around the middle of camp, it always got so hot that even arts and crafts became imposssible. It was just too sticky. 

So that's how the eighteen boys found themselves at the pool. Luckily, most of the other counselors had brought their kids to the beach, so the pool was empty except for the lifeguards (who were currently both in the process of falling asleep). Maybe their safety was compromised, but now they were free to do whatever the hell they wanted. 

Johnny and Taeil were talking in quiet voices, sharing one lounge chair. Everyone knew that they, too, would be asleep soon. Taeyong, Ten, Renjun, Chenle, and Jisung were playing some game in the shallow end, Yuta and Kun were swimming around Sicheng almost predatorially, and Yukhei and Jungwoo were talking close together in the water (Yukhei occasionally initiating a splash fight with his boyfriend). 

The only person (other than maybe Yuta and Kun) not enjoying the refreshing water of the pool was Jaehyun. He was hanging off the ledge towards the deep end, staring at his boyfriend who was deeply nestled into his book in a lounge chair. 

"Come on!" Jaehyun whined loudly. 

"You know I hate physically activity!" Doyoung whined back. "I'm not getting in." 

"We don't have to play sports!" Jaehyun whined, again. "Anyways, aren't you over heating?" 

Doyoung rolled his eyes and put his book on his chair, walking over to Jaehyun but not dipping his limbs into the pool. Jaehyun splashed Doyoung's foot, and Doyoung pouted at him. 

"Bunny...." Jaehyun groaned, and Doyoung just shook his head. "You might make me do something you'll regret," Jaehyun threatened, but Doyoung just laughed at him. 

Suddenly, Jaehyun tugged on Doyoung's leg. With a loud scream Doyoung toppled into the water, bobbing up for air a few moments later. 

At first he just looked surprised, his black hair dripping and hanging down in strings. Jaehyun grinned guiltily at him, giggling, until Doyoung's expression changed. His face became stony, giving Jaehyun his most terrifying death glare. Jaehyun's smile left his face, his eyes growing wide at Doyoung's scary eyes. 

"If you weren't my boyfriend, I might kill you right now," Doyoung threatened. Jaehyun still stayed frozen in place. Suddenly, Doyoung gave Jaehyun his hardest splash, burying him in water. 

"My face!" Jaehyun cried, his hair getting wet for the first time that day. He splashed Doyoung back, Doyoung returned it, until it was an all out war. 

"See, I told you it's fun!" Jaehyun yelled over the din of the water. 

Doyoung giggled and splashed Jaehyun again. "I still hate you!" He cried, but he was unable to hide his joyous smile. "You're just lucky that my book didn't get wet. Then you really would've met your end." Jaehyun just giggled back at him

~~~~~~~~~~

Mark and Donghyuck were treading water in a corner of the deep end of the pool, scheming about Jeno and Jaemin, as per usual. 

"I'm getting tired," Mark whined. 

"But this is the only place where they won't hear us deciding on their love lives for them," Donghyuck replied. Mark tilted his head; Donghyuck was right. So he pushed himself out of the water, sitting on the edge of the pool with his legs dangling in the water. Donghyuck rested his arms and head on the lower part of Mark's very pale thighs, looking up at him. 

"I wonder why we're so invested in their love life," Mark said quietly. 

Donghyuck shrugged and smiled. "I dunno. Maybe we don't want be the youngest couple anymore." 

"That's true. If Jeno and Jaemin start dating, because I'm older we won't be the youngest any more." Donghyuck nodded, playing with the droplets of water on Mark's knee. 

"I don't want them to waste camp. Like we did last year," Mark said sadly. 

"That wasn't a waste," Donghyuck responded. 

"Maybe we did need the buildup a little bit," Mark answered, tugging at the corner of Donghyuck's ear. Donghyuck made a face but Mark smiled; Donghyuck was adorable no matter what. 

"And they had last year of buildup as well. So it's time they confessed," Donghyuck said. 

"I mean, if we told them that the other liked them they might confess sooner. And we know it is true," Mark responded. 

"So we could get them to confess whenever. Even today." 

"Omigosh! Honestly, yeah...we could."

Both of them slowly began to smile at each other. "We should," Donghyuck said firmly. 

"Should we?"

"Absolutely," Donghyuck answered firmly. Both of their smiles were fully formed now, and Mark slid back into the pool. 

"Okay. We gotta do it." 

"We have to. Now's the time," Mark whispered back to Donghyuck. 

"It's perfect." He and Mark shared a quick kiss before swimming out of the deep end of the pool and leaving out of opposite exits. 

Donghyuck shook Jaemin's shoulder, beckoning to leave his spot next to Jeno with his feet in the water of the pool and follow him. With a confused expression Jaemin walked behind him, not noticing Mark lead Jeno away right after. 

"What's up?" Jaemin asked. 

"I just want to tell you a little secret I found out," Donghyuck responded with a wink. "A little birdy told me that Jeno might like you back." 

Jaemin laughed out loud. "No way...you're just playing a prank on me." 

"Yes way, dude! I'm serious. I just...I really think you should confess. Like, camp is almost halfway over!" 

"I'd rather endure another year of pining than be rejected," Jaemin whined. 

"But you won't be!"

"It's like you want to see me humiliated."

"No, I don't!" Donghyuck cried. "I'm serious. I just want to see you happy with Jeno. Like me and Mark are. You're...you're one of my closest friends, you know?"

Jaemin sighed. Donghyuck was rarely serious, but when he was, he knew it was really important. Maybe Donghyuck really wasn't lying. 

Jaemin swallowed thickly and looked up at Donghyuck. "Look. I don't think you're right, but...maybe you are. I dunno...should I really do it?"

"Yes!"

"Fine," Jaemin groaned. "I'm gonna do it, but if he rejects me....I will ruin your life. I swear." 

"It's a deal," Donghyuck responded, and the two of them shook hands. 

Meanwhile, Jeno and Mark were talking a short distance away. 

"What's up?" Jeno asked. 

"I just want to tell you a little secret I found out," Mark responded with a sly smile. "A little birdy told me that Jeno might like you back." 

Jeno chuckled. "No way...did Donghyuck put you up to this?" 

Mark chuckled back. "Nope, I just wanted to tell you what I know."

"A-are you absolutely sure? Because if Jaemin rejects me I don't think I'd ever recover-"

"I'm one hundred percent sure," Mark interrupted with a firm nod. 

"Do you think I should confess then?" Jeno whispered. 

"Yes!" Mark squealed back. 

"A-alright...but if Jaemin rejects me...I'll have to take my revenge on you. And Donghyuck too." 

"But Donghyuck doesn't have anything to do with this!"

"I don't believe that for a second," Jeno answered with a nervous smile. "Alright, with me luck." 

"Good luck, dude," Mark responded with a smile as Jeno waved goodbye, going to look for Jaemin. As soon as Jeno and Jaemin were a distance away, they ran toward each other to watch what happened. 

"D-do you wanna go for a walk with me?" Jeno asked Jaemin very nervously, playing with his hands. 

Jaemin nodded and the two started on the path, heading towards the bridges. This was the perfect opportunity to confess; but as they walked further Jaemin didn't know whether or not he actually had the courage to go through with it. The decision to admit his crush had been a pretty brash one, and maybe he wasn't ready to do it just yet. Both he and Jeno were silent as they walked, weirdly so, but Jaemin figured it was all just in his head. 

Once they were quite a distance from the others, Jeno turned to Jaemin very shyly. 

"I actually have something to tell you," Jeno spoke, very quickly. 

"Me too," Jaemin replied. He cursed at himself; there was no way he was backing out now. 

"Let's just say it at the same time. Get it over with," Jeno said, looking anywhere but at Jaemin. But Jaemin didn't notice, as his eyes were cast elsewhere as well. 

"Alright then," Jaemin responded with an awkward chuckle. 

"1, 2, 3, I like you," Jaemin and Jeno spoke simoultaneously. Both of them looked at each other in complete surprise. 

"Wait, seriously?" Jaemin asked. 

"Yeah. I've liked you since last year," Jeno responded. 

"Really? Me too!"

"Really?" Jeno said, his voice so high pitched and excited that it was almost a squeal. The two of them stepped in closer to each other, holding onto each other's arms. 

"I can't believe you like me," Jaemin mumbled, taking another step in closer. Jeno hugged Jaemin with a smile, wrapping one arm around his waist and the other pushing his head into Jeno's chest. 

"I feel the same way," Jeno mumbled, the two of them just hugging in the middle of the pathway through camp. Since they were almost the exact same height, when Jaemin lifted his head their faces were planted right next to each other. 

They were so close that Jaemin could feel Jeno's breaths on his face and see up close how his cheeks began to turn pink. Jaemin smiled slowly; it was just too adorable. 

"I think we should kiss now," Jaemin mumbled against Jeno's lips; he didn't even know where the confidence came from. But Jeno didn't even respond to Jaemin's words, just pressed their lips together in a chaste yet loving kiss. 

Jaemin could feel his stomach doing backflips, his skin buzzing, his brain in a daze. This was only his second kiss, ever, and it felt good to have it with Jeno. It felt especially good that it was out of mutual attraction; it was so much more than just some stupid dare. 

They pulled away slowly, and Jaemin looked down at the ground; he was embarrassed by the heart eyes he was giving Jeno. Jeno just hugged him tightly again, and Jaemin slyly held Jeno's chin and kissed him once on each cheek. Jeno giggled loudly and Jaemin looked at him, he just felt so incredibly happy. Jeno was his best friend, the strongest crush he'd ever had in his short thirteen years of living, the kind of guy he'd always secretly dreamed of dating. He felt lucky, he felt blessed, and he could almost feel Jeno returning these feelings back to him. 

"So...this means your my boyfriend now, right?" Jeno asked. Jaemin nodded up at him, and Jeno squeezed Jaemin. 

"I'm just really excited!" Jeno said suddenly. 

"Me too!" Jaemin answered, and his face was beginning to hurt from smiling. 

"Told ya!" They suddenly heard Mark and Donghyuck shout. Turning their heads, they noticed all of their friends gawking at them. Immediately they blushed, abandoning their hug but still holding hands. Everyone cheered for them loudly, and even though they were both quite a bit embarrassed they had to admit their friends were sweet. 

"Why are you guys even here?" Jeno asked with a whine, resting his head on Jaemin's shoulder. He wanted a little more alone time with his new boyfriend. 

"The dinner bell rang," Taeil explained. Jeno and Jaemin shared a confused look. 

"Were you two too busy going at it to hear the bell?" Donghyuck teased. 

"We were not going at it!" Jeno whined, him and Jaemin grimacing and ducking to the back of the group. 

"We can go to our cabin while the others hang out at E2 tonight," Jaemin said. "We deserve some cuddle time." 

"Oh, absolutely," Jeno responded, and relished in how natural it felt for Jaemin to gently kiss him with his soft lips.


	14. In My Feelings

"I heard that the art shack opened up the tie dye area," Ten spoke offhandedly during lunch that afternoon. 

"Really?" Mark asked excitedly. Tie-dying shirts was one of his favorite camp activities, especially because of how it connected to his and Donghyuck's relationship. Mark deeply cherished that shirt Donghyuck made him and wore it whenever he was clean (or just whenever he missed Donghyuck back home). 

"That sounds fun!" Jungwoo said excitedly, and quickly finishing their food, the boys ran off to the art shack. 

~~~~~~~~~~

After the boys grabbed their white t-shirts and clothes from their cabins, they ran down to the art shack to start their tie-dye before the younger kids messed up all the colors. In the confusion of running around to grab colors, Jisung and Chenle managed to lose each other, and Jisung was left wandering around the tables set up outside the art shack by himself. 

He clutched his white t-shirt to his chest, trying not to let any flying splashes of dye land on his shirt, while looking around for Chenle. He'd been excited to do this thing with him, so being alone made him feel sort of uncomfortable. He was the youngest member of their friend group by a long shot, so he didn't like to be alone. He preferred to be by Chenle's side, that way he felt a part of everything; he felt safe. 

After doing a loop around the first table he slowly made his way around the second, taking his time, poking his head around corners. 

"Whatcha looking for, Sungie?" Doyoung asked. 

"Do you know where Chenle is?"

Doyoung smiled gently and nodded. "At the head of this table." Jisung grinned and nodded, jogging to the end of the long picnic table. 

He was glad to find Chenle really at the end, tapping his shoulder. Jisung stood just a few inches above Chenle, despite being a year younger, so when Chenle turned around he had to look up at Jisung. 

"Hi!" He spoke in his usual cheerful tone. "I was wondering where you went."

"Y-yeah. I guess I got lost," Jisung responded, still clutching his shirt. Chenle looked down at his work, putting a tied up shirt into a wet plastic bag before handing it to Jisung. 

"I made you one!" Chenle said with a bright smile. Shyly, Jisung took the plastic bag into his hands, trying not to get the droplets of dye onto his own undyed t-shirt. 

"Th-this is for me?" Jisung asked with surprise. 

"Yeah! I made it just for you." 

"Ah...th-thanks," Jisung responded, looking down and rubbing the nape of his neck. He smiled at the ground and took the bag in his hands. 

Finally he looked up at Chenle. Even though Chenle was smiling back at him, a panic suddenly rose in Jisung- he had to get Chenle something! 

"Eh- um- I'll be right back," Jisung said quietly. 

"Wait, what?" Chenle called after him with a confused expression as Jisung ran away. "Come back!" Chenle cried, but Jisung ignored him. 

Jisung ran around until he found Taeyong and Ten, previously making out behind the art shack until they noticed Jisung coming towards them. 

"Uh, hey Jisung, what's up?" Taeyong asked with an awkward chuckle as Ten pulled up the neck of his shirt to attempt to hide his hickies from the middle schooler. But Jisung didn't notice at all, too worried about his own problems. 

"So, Chenle tie dyed a shirt for me, and I need to make one for him, but I don't know how to do it!" Jisung cried. 

"Sungie, don't freak out," Taeyong said softly, ruffling Jisung's hair. 

"B-but....he spent time making it for me, and I don't have anything to give him," Jisung whined. 

"It was a gift. He's not expecting anything in return," Taeyong explained. 

"B-but dad!" Jisung whined. "I-I gotta!" Taeyong and Ten shared a knowing look before turning back to their sort of son. 

"We'll help you make one then. No problem," Ten answered. 

"Thanks mom," Jisung answered with a shy smile, the three of them walking back to the tie dye tables. "Do you know how to make the spirals?"

Ten and Taeyong shared a secret grimace; last year they'd just made out instead of tie dying. "Uh, yeah, absolutely," Ten lied with an uncomfortable chuckle. 

Taeyong looked over at Jaehyun's collection of shirts before grabbing some rubber bands, tying up Jisung's shirt as similarly as he could. 

"Here ya go! Now put the colors on it."

"What colors does Chenle like?" Jisung asked, unsure of himself. 

"Aren't you his best friend?" Ten teased. 

"I mean, I know he likes bright colors, but I wanted to be sure," Jisung mumbled, starting to dip the shirt in the orange dye, and then another piece in the light blue, putting yellow between them. "I-is it good so far?" 

"Yeah! Of course kiddo," Taeyong responded. "Better than I could do, honestly," he mumbled so only Ten could hear. 

"Hmm, agreed," Ten responded. 

After an extremely long amount of time of Jisung tie dying the shirt and Ten and Taeyong watching him over his shoulder, Jisung was finally finished. He held it up to the light and frowned. 

"It's shit," he said. "It's so bad." 

"No swearing!" Taeyong responded. 

"Sorry," Jisung mumbled. "But...it's really bad." 

"What are you talking about? None of the colors are muddy and it fits with Chenle's bright personality," Taeyong responded. 

"Here sweety, I got you a bag. Now go give it to Chenle," Ten added, holding open a plastic bag. Jisung defeatedly put the shirt in and walked over to Chenle. 

"Oh, there you are! I was wondering why you ran away from me," Chenle said with a chuckle. 

"Uh- I- I wanted to thank you for the shirt. So I made one for you," Jisung responded nervously, shoving the bag into Chenle's chest. 

"You made me one?" Chenle cried excitedly. He looked at it for a moment before gently placing the bag at his feet and pulling Jisung into a tight hug. "You're so nice. Thank you so much," Chenle said in Jisung's ear. 

Even though Chenle had just yelled in Jisung's ear, he couldn't stop himself from feeling joyous, a smile blooming on his face. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out why. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Before this day, Yuta didn't know that there was a such thing as aggressive tie dying. But now, he knew that not only was it a thing, it was a thing he did. 

He sat, angrily squeezing red dye onto a shirt as across from him, Sicheng and Kun tie dyed together. Yuta was sick of it. He couldn't take it any more. Sicheng should be by his side, doing the dye together, touching hands and giggling like he always used to. 

Now here Kun was, doing the job he was supposed to have. Their hands kept brushing, and Yuta knew for a fact that it wasn't an accident (at least on Kun's part). He had to say something. He had to say something or else he'd explode, or at least ruining this shirt he was trying to tie dye. 

He stood up and marched over to Sicheng and Kun. Sicheng didn't seem to notice his presence at all. Kun did, but he pretended not to, his eyes flickering up to Yuta then back toward Sicheng with a miniscule smirk on his lips. 

"Can you step off?" Yuta practically growled into Kun's ear. He tried to control his voice, but he'd been suppressing his anger so long that it didn't come out that way. 

"What did you say?" Kun responded with a shit eating grin. Yuta knew Kun heard exactly what he said. But he'd answered loud enough to get Sicheng's attention, and Yuta couldn't act like an aggressive, possessive guy in front of him. Yuta narrowed his eyes at Kun, his mind churning over what a manipulative asshole he was.

"Yuta!" Sicheng cried excitedly. "Come here." Sicheng grinned suddenly and grabbed Yuta's wrist, dragging him a way from a confused Kun. He himself was quite confused too, especially since they didn't stop until Sicheng had dragged him behind the art shack (where they were surprisingly alone, Yuta briefly wondered where Ten and Taeyong were). 

"I made you this," Sicheng said softly, holding up a tie dyed shirt. It was all different shades of purple, curling into a spiral pattern. It was actually beautiful; Yuta wouldn't have been surprised if he'd seen it in an actual store. 

"For me?" Yuta asked. Sicheng grinned brightly and nodded. "But babe, why'd you drag me all the way back here just to give it to me?"

"Because I want you to put it on now," Sicheng giggled sweetly. Obviously, Yuta could never turn down a request from his Sicheng. So he quickly tossed his own shirt off and put on the one Sicheng made him (not noticing Sicheng's throat go dry and cheeks turn pink when he saw Yuta's shirtless form briefly). 

"It's so comfy," Yuta said, grinning at Sicheng. Sicheng giggled back at him, turning to grab his wrist, but Yuta grabbed his hand instead. He finally had Sicheng alone and away from Kun; he wasn't going to waste his time. 

Since Kun shared a cabin with him and Sicheng, Yuta felt weird about giving Sicheng any more physical affection than just a peck on the lips. So Yuta was going to get that real kiss he'd been craving for days now. Pulling Sicheng in close to him, Sicheng's eyes glued desperately to Yuta's face, Yuta cupped his chin softly. Sicheng was by no means short but Yuta love the way he was just a tad bit taller, Sicheng's eyes directed up to stare at Yuta's lips. Yuta knew Sicheng wanted it too, their chests pressed together, and Yuta leaned in. 

Relief washed over Yuta when Sicheng kissed back, deep and serious, holding onto Yuta's broad shoulders. Yuta's fingers traced the different planes of Sicheng's pretty face, the dip beneath his eyes, his cheekbones, his jaw, his ear, his neck. Yuta tried to show Sicheng in that kiss just how much he loved and adored him

And Sicheng was kissing Yuta back the same way, full of love and adoration, giving all of himself to Yuta. Yuta had to wonder then, what was it with Kun? Why was Sicheng spending so much more time with him? Yuta knew deep in his heart that Sicheng loved Yuta the most...then why was all of this even happening in the first place. 

But as Sicheng pulled away, a perfect blush dusting his pretty cheeks, Yuta didn't have the heart to ask. He didn't want Sicheng to know how upset and jealous and possessive he really was, so he couldn't. 

Sicheng grinned beautifully and placed a gentle kiss to his lips, slowly pulling away. Yuta grinned back at Sicheng; he was perfect. Yuta pecked his forehead and brushed back his hair affectionately, wanting another kiss. 

"We should go back to the others," Sicheng said with laughter in his voice, adjusting the shirt he gave Yuta on his body. "They're probably wondering where we are. We don't wanna turn into Ten and Taeyong, right?" 

At once, Yuta's smile disappeared. He nodded, following Sicheng back to the art shack, wondering when they could really be together again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys! Sorry for disappearing for a couple days; work and finals have been really draining to me and i haven't been able to write. it's finally the weekend and my brain has even short-circuited. I'd just like to remind everyone also that i LOVE KUN! He's my china line/nct vision bias and top 6 in my bias list. I just made him the villan in this story, so
> 
> a. he'd have a bigger role despite being single
> 
> b. bc he was left over from the couples. 
> 
> I hope nobody misunderstands. I love Kun and think he's an angel sent by god to bless the earth. I promise i love him. im sorry im so mean to him in this story. 


	15. Teen Movie Mess

After dinner, Sehun came up to the group of boys. 

"Tonight is the teen movie night," Sehun started. 

"We are not fucking going to that," Ten interrupted. "Not after last year." 

"Come on!" Sehun whined loudly. "Don't just abandon me. You know Jongdae and his kids are gonna ditch me," he said, referencing the 16 to 18s counselor and his campers." 

"What's the movie?" Chenle asked. 

"Fuck if I know," Sehun answered. "Camp Director Joonmyeon wouldn't tell me. I think he knows that if he admitted the truth, no one would show up." 

"A movie? That actually sounds pretty fun!" Jungwoo said sweetly. 

"No, no, no," Doyoung responded. "They just play the worst children's movies of the year, outdoors."

"It's boring and it's freezing and everyone just ends up making out, which we could easily do in the comfort of our own cabins."

"I dunno, I'm kind of in the mood for a movie," Jeno spoke quietly. 

"We're gonna see the movie," Jaemin said insistently to the group. 

"You're whipped," Renjun mumbled to Jaemin. "You hate kids movies." 

"Shut up!" Jaemin whined before turning to Sehun. "Yeah, we're gonna come." 

"Oh thank you!" Sehun responded gratefully as half the group groaned loudly. "I'll see you all in half an hour at the bridge. Dress warm!" 

~~~~~~~~~~

Fourty five minutes later, the boys plus Sehun and Jongdae (his campers had ditched him completely) had made their way to the area for the movie, a large clearing a few minutes from camp. The boys sat on the ground, curling up with their blankets. 

Jongdae switched on the projector to display the title screen for the movie "The Secret Life of Pets." Everyone in the audience groaned loudly, and even Jisung looked disappointed at the movie selection. 

"You suck, Jaemin!" Yukhei whined. 

"Shut up!" Jaemin whined back, and the movie began to play. 

Half an hour into the movie, the audience looked very different from when the movie first started. 

Chenle, having forgotten his blanket, had started sharing with Jisung and the two were cuddling innocently as the movie played. Kun had shoved himself between a very disgruntled Yuta and a very oblivious Sicheng. Jeno and Jaemin were holding hands sweetly, laying their heads down on a reluctant Renjun's lap. Taeyong and Ten had started making out before the first dialogue of the film even began, and had disappeared from the audience at that point, and almost everyone else was making out too. 

Taeil looked around at this scene around him. He had his head on Johnny's shoulder, Johnny's hand running up and down his spine. Their faces were so close that Taeil could feel Johnny's hot breaths; all of it made Taeil nervous, excited. 

"Do I really have to initiate everything?" Johnny mumbled to Taeil, a teasing smile on his lips. 

"You know I'm shy," Taeil whined back quietly, briefly glancing at Johnny's face. Immediately he blushed; circumstances like this always made him anxious, and anyways, Johnny was unbelievably handsome. 

"Fine then," Johnny responded jokingly, leaning in and pressing his lips against Taeil's.

Taeil pressed in closer as Johnny's big hands came to rest on his body, one on his waist and the other cupping his cheek. He gripped onto Johnny's strong, broad shoulders, Johnny's hand pressing against Taeil's back to hold him close. 

Johnny began to slow their pace down, taking the lead and making sure they took their time. He gently pulled Taeil's soft thigh until he was straddling Johnny, feeling awfully tiny in his lap. 

Johnny didn't waste a moment running his hands all over Taeil's small frame, tongue swiping at his lower lip. Taeil opened his mouth and Johnny slipped his tongue inside, reminding Taeil of when they frenched kissed for the first time just a few nights ago. 

He loved this feeling, he loved every moment of it. Johnny was notorious for his experience and skills and Taeil felt lucky that he got to experience it at all. Usually they were chaste despite sharing a bed; both of them didn't like the idea of making out in the cabin while the others were trying to sleep (they didn't have the boldness of Taeyong and Ten). Even though everyone was around here too, it felt more private under the cover of the night's utter darkness. 

Johnny just felt so good. Last year it had been amazing to kiss him at the teen movie, it felt wild and important all at once, because Taeil truly believed he would never get the chance to kiss someone so attractive again. But now, it was even better: he was Johnny's and Johnny was his, they were actually together now, Taeil trusted him and he trusted himself to believe he at least sort of deserved Johnny. Maybe, he thinks, for a brief moment, they could take this further, sometime during camp. They were both seventeen after all, and even if he wasn't ready tonight maybe sometime in the two weeks of camp they had left. Perhaps he was ready to-

He was shocked out of his thoughts when Johnny pulled away from the kiss, smiling widely. 

"You're so perfect," Johnny mumbled against his lips. 

"You too," Taeil replied, holding onto Johnny's arms. Johnny smiled again, and leaned into take what was his.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"It's nice that we can finally have some privacy," Doyoung said to Jaehyun. The two boys were panting heavily against each other's lips, taking a brief break from making out. They'd started pretty quickly, as neither of them had wanted to go to the movie in the first place. Only a thin blanket covered their bodies, but neither of them were cold. The others, no, the whole world, had disappeared from around them long ago. 

"What do you mean?" Jaehyun responded with laughter in his voice. "We're still at the movie. The others are still here." 

"It's different!" Doyoung whined. 

Jaehyun released a breath and nodded. "Yeah...you're kinda right." 

Both of them knew that their backs would be stained with the grassy dew, but it didn't seem to matter in that moment.

"You know," Doyoung said softly as Jaehyun placed a kiss to the side of Doyoung's neck. "I wish we could be alone together more often." 

"Don't you love our camp friends?"

"Of course. It's just....you're my boyfriend, you know? Most of the time I want to be with the others but sometimes....I just need alone time with you." 

"I know. I get you," Jaehyun answered quietly, his hands caressing Doyoung's waist. "I feel the same way."

"It would be so much easier if we didn't live so far apart." 

"I know! Whose idea was it for us to live in different states?"

"We need to go to the same college," Doyoung said. 

Jaehyun grinned and made a confused expression. "I thought that was a given?" Doyoung laughed, and they started to kiss again. 

~~~~~~~~~

Jungwoo had no idea what part of the movie it was when Yukhei pulled away from his lips. They had been gently kissing as soon as Yukhei decided the movie was too boring, surprising Jungwoo with a passionate kiss on the lips. Though he was a bit startled, he kissed back without question, holding onto Yukhei's muscular arms, leaving him breathless. 

Now they'd been kissing for a while, still chaste, but Jungwoo was blushing even so. Even though he and Yukhei shared a bed and cuddled every night, things were shockingly innocent. So Jungwoo was unused to anything like this at all. 

"You're so cute," Yukhei mumbled seductively against his lips. He flushed an even deeper shade of pink, and to his disappointment the light of the projector screen showed the red shade of his face. Yukhei kissed his cheek gently while looking over at him, a small smile on his pretty lips. "You're still blushing." 

"I-I don't do this kinda stuff a lot," Jungwoo shyly admitted. "Well...I-I kinda don't do this stuff at all." 

Yukhei chuckled, tucking some of Jungwoo's hair behind his ear. "I couldn't tell. I like kissing you." 

Jungwoo flushed even darker. "Me too." 

"Do you wanna like....make out for real?" Yukhei casually suggested. 

"I-I wouldn't know how to do that," Jungwoo responded with a shy giggle. 

"I mean, I could show you." Yukhei punctuated his words with a greasy wink. "Back home, I was kinda the fuckboy of the school, so yeah...I'm pretty experienced," he explained in an overconfident manner. Anyone else would've been horrified, but it just made Jungwoo more excited. 

"Yeah," Jungwoo responded, nodding at biting his lower lip. "Show me." 

~~~~~~~~~~~

Mark and Donghyuck were only sort of paying attention. Mark had his head on Donghyuck's shoulder, facing the screen, but his mind had completely drifted elsewhere. Donghyuck wasn't even looking at the movie at all; he was playing with Mark's fingers, staring down at his lap. 

"Hey Mark?" Donghyuck said, looking over at his boyfriend in an uncharacteristically serious manner. 

"Huh?" Mark said, physically shaking his head, then looking back at Donghyuck. "Oh, yeah?"

Donghyuck gave the rest of the field a quick glance before looking back at Mark, a small grin on his lips. "Could give you a...real kiss?"

Mark blinked in surprise and responded with just a small nod. Donghyuck's delicate fingers captured the area underneath Mark's chin and tilted his head up, Mark's body still slumped against his own. Donghyuck leaned in slowly as Mark's eyes fluttered closed, their soft lips pressing together. 

Donghyuck didn't pull away quickly like usual but Mark just followed, tilting their heads to press in closer. The synapses in Mark's brain felt like they were shutting off, and Mark reminded himself that Donghyuck was always better than he came off. Donghyuck's hands flew to Mark's waist and pulled him closer, gripping him tight enough to make his nerve endings short out but not too tight. Mark finally realized that the cliches were all right: fireworks, sparks, all real when you kissed the right person like this. 

Mark made a discontented noise when Donghyuck pulled away, the boys staring into each other's eyes and panting, breaths hot across each other's faces. 

"Wow," Mark mumbled softly. 

"That's for fucking sure," Donghyuck answered with a big smile and even though it was the dead of night, Mark felt like the sun was out. 

"That was even better than the Johnny kiss." 

"What?" Donghyuck asked. 

"You know, it was better than the kiss I had with Johnny when we played spin the bottle last summer." 

"Of course it was!" 

"It's not like you're more experienced than him." 

"Maybe not, but I mean, you like me." 

Mark looked down at the dirty ground but couldn't stop himself from smiling. "Yeah...I do..." he spoke shyly, nodding his head. 

"I mean, it is good to know I can kiss you better than Johnny. You have know idea how unbelievably jealous I was that day." 

"No, I know how jealous you were," Mark teased. 

"I guess I wasn't really subtle, was I?"

"You're not really a subtle person in general, to be honest." Mark and Donghyuck chuckled and Donghyuck pulled Mark into a tight hug. 

"Do you wanna kiss me again?" Donghyuck whispered into Mark's ear as Mark's expression turned into a disappointed frown. 

"I would," Mark began, looking behind him and Donghyuck. "But now I'm not really in the mood, after seeing that." 

Donghyuck looked to where Mark was staring and saw Taeil laying on top of Johnny, the two making out pretty hard. The younger of the two made a horrified expression just witnessing it momentarily. 

"Oh god," He groaned, shaking his head. "It's like watching your grandparents fuck. I feel like my dick got sucked back up into my body."

Mark tried to hide his giggles. "You're so gross!" He whined, but he was laughing a bit too. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm sorry for not updating in forever. I am finally moved out of my dorm and done with finals so you can expect slightly more frequent updates. Just want to say we're about halfway through the story! I hope you all are enjoying it so far. Let me know what you like and dislike in the comments below!


	16. The Worst Thing That Could've Possibly Happened

It was that period of time between the breakfast bell and lunch bell when the sun shined down bright but not too bright, and it was warm but not too warm, and the morning sleepiness was gone but the afternoon fatigue hadn't quite set in yet. 

It was this period of time when Ten and Taeyong were talking animatedly on the floor of their cabin, the pair alone for the first time in what felt like forever. They had gone to breakfast with the others, eating the pancakes a very disgruntled chef Kyungsoo had put in front of them, before everyone else decided they wanted to hang out at the pool. Everyone had gone back to the cabins to change into swimsuits, but after a brief conversation, Ten and Taeyong had decided they didn't want to go. They needed a quick break, and now they were really appreciating it. 

Taeyong watched Ten as Ten spoke to him, about camp gossip and their kids and the brief thoughts that had crossed his mind during breakfast. Taeyong practically worshipped Ten; the moment Ten had stepped into Taeyong's life he thought he'd entered a dream. Ten was unimaginably pretty: bright eyes, perfect nose, pink lips and wide smile, toned body, small frame that Taeyong could hold tight in his arms. But as beautiful as Ten was, that wasn't the reason Taeyong loved him so damn much. It was his frequent laughter, high pitched talking voice, even his slight snoring when they went to bed. It was the way he smelled, like chlorine and trees and beach and sometimes like the cologne he stole from Jaehyun. It was the way his lips tasted like cherry chapstick and his skin like ocean water. It was his skin, soft as silk, hair like velvet, hugs better than any sweater. It was Ten's playful, teasing attitude, his bright personality, his friendliness towards others, his care for others deep down in his heart. Taeyong was in love, and every day they were apart had become harder and harder. But now that they were reunited there was a certain urgency: Taeyong couldn't waste the little time they had together. 

But there was Ten, reminding him to take it slow and appreciate this little time they could be with one another. Everything Ten did just made Taeyong fall harder. 

The cabin was warm from the morning sunlight, enough that Ten and Taeyong could wear just their swimsuits and be perfectly warm. 

"I'm glad we just stayed here. It's nice and quiet," Ten said softly. 

"I know, right?" Taeyong answered. "I love the others but sometimes I just need to be alone with you." 

"You know I'll always love you more," Ten admitted in an uncharacteristically shy voice. 

"What about our kids?" Taeyong cried, feigning shock. 

"Well," Ten said with a chuckle. "Maybe not more than them." 

Taeyong pouted sweetly and Ten couldn't help but smile. Taeyong didn't often show his cute side to the public, but he always showed that side in front of Ten. Even though Ten liked Taeyong's brooding, sexy side, Ten was in love with the sweet, adorable, and caring side of Taeyong's personality. 

"Come on, it's a parents duty to love their kids more than anyone else!" Ten teased. 

"That's true....our kids are the sweetest, aren't they." 

"Definitely. I hope they're having a good time right now."

"They love the pool," Taeyong answered, brushing Ten's hair out of his eyes. "They won't get bored there without us. They'll play sports with Jeno and Jaemin and Yukhei and stuff." 

"Those olders boy better go easy on them," Ten said with overdramatic vigor. "Or else they've got another thing coming." 

"What, like you're gonna beat them up?" Taeyong teased. Ten pouted, his fist about to lightly bump Taeyong chest before Taeyong grabbed it with his hand. A smile on his lips he pulled Ten closer on the floor, an adoring look in his eyes as he leaned closer. 

He surprised Ten with a soft and gentle kiss on the lips, looking at him as if he was the only thing in the world. 

"I'm so lucky," he mumbled suddenly. 

"What for?" Ten responded with a light chuckle. 

"To have you," he spoke seriously as Ten tried to hide his bright smile. "I'm serious," Taeyong added, looking up into Ten's eyes. "Who else gets to meet their soulmate when they're fifteen?"

"It's true. We only met a year ago but it feels like it's been so long," Ten responded. 

"It's amazing....like, we're gonna be together forever. And I'm really excited for it." 

"Yeah...I know..." 

Taeyong seized forward and captured Ten's lips another kiss, more passionate and powerful this time. Ten kissed back with just as much love, the two pressing so close together than they almost toppled over onto the old wooden floors of the cabin. Ten tangled his hands in Taeyong's hair to hold him close, his fingers lacing through those blond-ish silver-ish locks. 

"You know how much I love you, right?" Taeyong asked. Ten simply nodded. 

"And you know I feel the same." Taeyong nodded back. 

Ten leaned in and kissed Taeyong again, more gently this time. Taeyong's eyes fluttered shut as his hand rested on Ten's bare waist, his finger tracing circles in the skin. Ten reached up to Taeyong, breathing in his pure clean scent, as sunlight glowed through the cracks in the walls. 

Taeyong pulled away slowly, his breathing heavy. "Maybe," he spoke between slow pants, "We should move to the bed." 

"Yeah, the floor is pretty uncomfortable," Ten answered with a breathy giggle. The two shared a smile and got up, the noise of Taeyong's joints cracking filling the empty cabin as they climbed up onto their top bunk. 

"You're an old man," Ten teased. 

"Fatherhood does that to you," Taeyong answered, placing a quick kiss to Ten's lips. "But you still love me," he added, giving his boyfriend a real kiss this time. 

"Always," Ten mumbled against his lips in a quick break before capturing them once again. 

The two kissed gently for only a moment before Taeyong's hands found their way to Ten's body again, one hand on his waist and the other on his thighs. The boys weren't exactly known for being chaste; their teenage hormones raged in the few moments they could be alone. 

Ten couldn't even explain how much he'd missed Taeyong over the school year. Calls, skype sessions, texts, snapchats, none of it was ever enough. Social media always helped, but the physical distance was practically unbearable. He'd missed everything about Taeyong: his intelligence, devotion, caring and loving attitude, beautiful looks, everything. It was the big things, like the way he knew what Ten was thinking without a word being spoken between them, to the little things, like the way he smelled, just like air freshener. It was his weird little movements when he forgot how to be a person rather than a robot, it was his rough, dye worn hair, it was the little scar by his eye, it was his gangly teen boy body. It was his smooth voice and high laugh, the noises he made when he ate really good food, the way he would mumble how much he loved Ten into his ear before they went to sleep. It was  the hour long showers Taeyong took, the way he obsessively cleaned Chenle and Jisung's cabin when the little ones were out, the way he always smelled like air freshener and tasted like toothpaste to the point of being weird, but Ten found it adorable. It was the little touches Taeyong gave, protective hands on Ten's thigh, kisses in private and in front of anyone, hands snaking around his waist during activities the others had dragged them to, finger playing with his hair and absentmindedly braiding little strands. Ten was in love with every part of Taeyong. He'd loved him before but now, he'd taken it a step further: he trusted him, fully and completely. 

Taeyong's hand pushed up Ten's swimsuit leg slightly and Ten released a noise into Taeyong's mouth. 

"What is it?" Taeyong asked immediately, both of them panting for air, the heat rising in the cabin. 

"Nothing," Ten answered with a small smile. "Just...felt good." 

Ten grinned brightly now and flopped down onto the bed, waggling his fingers for Taeyong to come closer. Taeyong climbed on top of him, smiling softly before kissing Ten deeply once again. 

Ten pushed him away slightly and confused, Taeyong looked back at him. 

"You know, last year....I trusted you. And I thought I was ready. But I wasn't back then." 

"For what?"

"You know...sex," Ten clarified. "But, if you want to...I think it's time. We've been together a year. We've done a lot of other stuff together. We even have kids." 

"You're like the virgin Mary," Taeyong teased. "Kids but no sex." 

"I personally think that's not the way for me anyways. I always wanted sex first, then kids." 

"I want to, badly," Taeyong admitted, hands caressing Ten's bare stomach and hips. "But only if you are. I mean, I don't want you to be pressured like last year..." 

"I'm not, I promise," Ten answered, nodding and looking up at Taeyong with a serious expression. "I've thought it over quite a bit. I'm definitely ready." 

Ten and Taeyong shared a long look, eye contact intense as they silent searched within each other to see if it was right. With them, so much was wordless, and both of them needed the silent conformation that now was the time. 

"A-alright then," Taeyong stuttered nervously, after they'd finally made sure it was right, pressing himself closer. "Let's do it."

~~~~~~~~~~

Ten released a loud groan, his lower lip caught between his teeth, as he felt himself grow closer and closer to his finishing point. 

"F-fuck, Ten," Taeyong responded, and he sound just as wrecked as Ten did with Ten moving up and down, straddling his waist. 

"Shit, I'm gonna-" Ten began just as the door to the cabin burst open and Jisung stepped inside. 

The eleven year old boy looked at them with wide curious eyes as Ten released a scream, getting off of Taeyong and immediately ducking under the covers. Ten stared pointedly at the blanket covering both of their naked bodies while Taeyong couldn't stop looking at Jisung with the most uncomfortable expression on his face.

"Hey mom and dad. What are you guys doing?" Jisung asked with so much innocence that Ten and Taeyong did not know what to do. 

Ten began to release noises like gibberish as Taeyong looked back and forth at Ten and Jisung, trying to come up with just anything to answer their pseudo-son's question. Sensing the awkwardness, Jisung stayed at the cabin's doorway, but shut the door behind him. 

"Uh...eum..." Ten started. 

"Well...uh...well, when, uh, two people love each other very much-" Taeyong began. 

"Oh! You guys are...uh...doing the sex," Jisung said awkwardly, nodding his head and looking at the floor. "Donghyuck explained it to me last year," he added, grimacing along with Ten and Taeyong.

Taeyong physically winced and Jisung managed to look up at the two. "Uh...have fun?" He spoke before ducking out of the door as fast as his legs could take him. 

As soon as he was gone Taeyong released a loud groan and flopped onto his bed. 

"I think that's the worst thing that's ever happened to me," Ten said. 

"Oh, same," Taeyong answered. The two teenage boys, still naked under the haphazardly thrown blanket, sat in silence. 

"Do you want me to," Ten started, his voice very quiet, "finish you off?"

Taeyong sighed loudly. "Absolutely not," he answered. "I don't think I'll be able to get it up for at least another three days." 

Ten sighed back. "Oh, same." 


	17. Golden Hour

In the late afternoon, the eighteen boys made the decision to go down to the beach by the lake where they kayaked more than a week earlier. The newbies had never been, and the boys needed to cool down in the ocean with the hot sun beating down on their skin. 

They all took the fifteen minute walk together down to the beach, carrying towels and food stolen from the dining hall in their arms. Once they arrived, they spread out along the sand and the ocean, some going up into the cliffs behind for some peace and quiet. 

"Hey Jisung, you know what my favorite thing to do at the beach is?" Chenle asked, turning to his best friend as they waded into the water. 

"What is it?"

"I like to build a pool in the sand. You know, like dig a big hole and then fill it with water?"

Jisung smiled widely. "I like to do that too!"

"Will you help me make one?"

"Of course, Lele," Jisung answered. "Let's start digging."

The two middle schoolers began excitedly digging in the sand with their hands, starting their little project. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Taeil laid out his towel down immediately next to Johnny's, brushing the sand off of the corners. The oldest couple at camp had no plans to go into the water during their trip to the beach. Instead, they wanted to fulfill one of their favorite daily tasks: the afternoon nap. 

Johnny and Taeil laid down on the towels they'd brought from the dorm, groaning loudly as they finally got to relax. Johnny swung his arm around Taeil's shoulders, and Taeil rested his head on Johnny's bare chest (the weather was so hot that the two boys got into swimsuits anyways). 

"It's so...fucking...hot," Taeil groaned, brushing back his hair, the roots damp with sweat. 

"I know," Johnny groaned back. 

"Maybe if you two actually went into the water, you could cool off," Yuta commented as he passed by the couple, standing over them. 

"That's too much effort!" Johnny whined. "We'd actually have to get up."

"No way," Taeil added, throwing his arm over Johnny's muscular chest. 

"Suit yourself," Yuta responded, walking away from the pair with his bare feet digging into the hot sand. 

Johnny casually kicked off his flip flops, staring up at the sky with sunglasses on and carding his fingers through Taeil's hair. Taeil exhaled, and Johnny laughed at the ticklish sensation on his chest.

"Do you know what time it is?" Johnny asked. 

Taeil took a peek at his rubber wristwatch. "Five pm," he answered. 

Johnny sighed. "At home, I would've gotten up like two or three hours ago. Instead of at fuckin' eight am, like some heathen." 

"Or a person who actually has a job?" Taeil teased, looking up at Johnny with a grin. 

"Hey!" Johnny whined, tugging a little at the hair threaded between his fingers. 

"In the summer I get up late, but not after twelve!" Taeil said. 

"Any time before twelve is early in my book." 

Taeil chuckled and bit his lip, Johnny leaning up to press a soft kiss to his lips. 

"It's not fair that we can't see each other during the school year," Taeil complained once Johnny had leaned back down. 

"God, fuck, I know, right? I want you to meet all my friends so much." 

"You're friends are way too cool for me," Taeil spoke. 

"Nah. They're lame as shit. All we do is drive around at night." 

"You shouldn't worry about it too much. My parents don't even let me out after dark." 

"You're fucking kidding," Johnny said. Taeil shook his head. "I would die if I were you." 

Taeil chuckled and snuggled into Johnny's chest. "It's not so bad, since I'm so lame."

"You're not lame, babe!" Johnny cried sleepily, and Taeil laughed. 

"I don't care if I'm lame, to be honest."

"As long as you know you're good enough for me. Hell, I'm not good enough for you." 

Yu"You're getting so cheesy on me; you must be tired," Taeil teased. 

"I am tired, I will admit, but I'm just stating the truth." 

Taeil rolled his eyes and smiled. "Let's sleep then." 

"Alright. Good ni- well, I guess not," Johnny said with a chuckle, the sun shining down on them as they drifted into their nap. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Jeno and Jaemin didn't really know what to do. 

"Where are Yukhei and Jungwoo?" Jaemin asked. Usually when they went to the pool, Yukhei, Chenle, and Jisung would play sports games with them (Renjun was the referee and Jungwoo was their cheerleader). 

"I dunno, probably off deeply staring into each other's eyes," Jeno teased back. Jaemin looked over at Chenle and Jisung making their weird hole pool thing, then looked up into the cliffs to see Yukhei and Jungwoo doing just that. 

Jaemin could barely suppress his laughter, wading through the water to laugh into Jeno's shoulder. Jeno laughed too, petting Jaemin's black hair. 

"But what should we do!" Jaemin whined, stomping on the water to make it splash everywhere. "I'm so bored." 

"We could play something," Jeno suggested. 

Jaemin shook his head. "There's only two of us." 

"We could try and get Renjun to join us?"

"That's perfect!" Jaemin responded. "You can go get him. I'm gonna wade out into the water to see how deep it gets." 

Jeno knew Jaemin was a pretty good swimmer so he nodded his head firmly. "Perfect." He left Jaemin with a kiss on the cheek and waded out of the water, running along the beach to find his friend. 

He eventually found Renjun sitting underneath the cliffs, Yuta complaining about Kun loudly in his ear while Renjun looked off into the distance. 

"Renjun, do you wanna play a game with me an-"

"Yes!" Renjun responded immediately, leaping up. "Let's go." He immediately began to walk away from a distressed Yuta and Jeno followed. Usually Renjun never actually played the sports games, but Jeno figured he needed an escape. 

"Jaemin and I are really bored," Jeno explained with a giggle. 

"Where are Yukhei and Jungwoo?"

"They left to go romantically stare into each other's eyes." 

"Disgusting," Renjun mumbled. 

Jeno and Renjun faced the beach where Jaemin and Jeno were sitting before. But to Jeno's surprise, nobody seemed to be there. 

"Where's Minnie?" Jeno said to himself, looking around for his boyfriend. Suddenly, quite a long distance away a smallish hand poked out of the water. Jeno took in a frightened gasp. 

"Oh my god," he spoke. 

"Is that Jaemin? Is he alright?" Renjun asked worriedly. Jeno didn't respond, instead, he leapt into the water to make sure his boyfriend was alright. 

Not a single thought crossed through Jeno's mind as he swam quickly through the lake except saving Jaemin. As he went further and further from the shore, panic rose into Jeno's stomach, his heart pouding so loud he thought everyone else could hear it even from the beach. 

Finally, he began to see the form of a boy deeper even further from where Jeno started. As he got closer he realized it was Jaemin, trying but failing to push up for air, slowly losing strength. Jeno was so scared that he felt like he was going to throw up but he put it all aside, channeling his energy to rescue his first love. 

Jeno could see the relief in Jaemin's expression as Jeno approached him, lifting him out of the water and into fresh air. It worked, and Jaemin gasped for air as soon as his head was lifted up. He spit a whole bunch of water out of his mouth but Jeno didn't care, Jaemin was alive, he just had to get both of them back to the shore. Jaemin's thin body was still exhausted and in shock so Jeno threw him over his back, swimming with all of his strength back to the shore. 

Jeno should've been too tired to make it but somehow his body pushed through, resting Jaemin against a rock on the sand and crouching down in front of him, both of them panting heavily. 

"Are you alright?" Jeno asked in a panicky tone, ignoring his other concerned camp friends standing over him. 

Jaemin nodded, then coughed. "I'm alright," he spoke in a croaky voice. Renjun brushed them all away and left to give Jeno and Jaemin a moment alone. 

"I was so worried," Jeno said honestly, and in an unusually affectionate act cup Jaemin's cheek and rubbed circles. Jaemin seemed immediately soothed at the touch, and so Jeno continued. As the boys were just awkward thirteen year olds in their first relationship, they kept their physical contact to just hugs and light kisses, but Jeno just wanted to touch Jaemin in that moment, make sure he was actually there. 

Jaemin panted more but his breathing slowly slowed down, as did Jeno's. They looked at each other for long moments, Jaemin grabbing Jeno's free hand to hold. 

"Y-you saved my life..." Jaemin spoke. 

"I'm so glad you're safe," Jeno responded. 

"I'm so lucky. I'm so lucky you saw. I'm so lucky you noticed. I'm-- thank you." 

"It was nothing. I just...I had to save you."

Jaemin's expression bloomed into that bright smile of his and Jeno's heart did that thing, the feeling he didn't know how to explain but felt every time Jaemin looked or acted extra adorable and loving (which was pretty often). 

"You're the best boyfriend ever," Jaemin said, and he interlaced he and Jeno's fingers. Jeno grinned back widely; and instead of answering he pressed a kiss to Jaemin's lips. 

Jaemin kissed back very gently, longer than just their usual peck, his lips tasting a tad like saltwater. It was perfect, until Jaemin pulled away to cough right in Jeno's face. 

"Sorry," Jaemin said with a pout. 

"Don't worry about it Minnie," Jeno answered. "Now, do you wanna do anything?"

Jaemin shook his head. "I'm pretty tired. Is it okay if we just sit here?"

Jeno nodded, scooting so he was sitting next to Jaemin. "As long as I'm with you." 

Jaemin squealed and rested his head on Jeno's chest, watching the other campers with a smile. 

~~~~~~~~~~

It was many hours later when Chenle and Jisung finally finished their pool. After the first hour of pushing aside the light sand that just kept moving back into place, they enlisted the help of Ten and Taeyong. Even so, it took many hours until the pool was stable, filled with water, and able to be used. 

"Try it mom try it!" Chenle said excitedly as Ten chuckled, stepping inside of the pool. 

"I can't believe this actually worked," Taeyong said as Ten gave the thumbs up. 

"It's perfect!" He responded. "Good job."

Chenle and Jisung shared a proud look, following Ten inside. Taeyong stepped inside too, the four of them dangling their feet in the water. 

As the sun began to set beautifully in the multicolored sky, Taeil and Johnny approached the pool, rubbing their eyes. Taeil leaned against Johnny's arm as the pair held hands, and it was clear they'd just awoken from their nap. 

"Why would you build a pool if the ocean's right there?" Taeil asked in a sleepy voice as Johnny casually brushed the sand out of his hair. 

"What's wrong with pools?" Chenle cried. "You guys really are grandpas if you can't appreciate a good sand pool." 

"If we're grandparents, then you must be our grandkids. I guess we're Ten and Taeyong's parents then," Johnny spoke. 

"It's so sweet that you and Jisung call Ten and Taeyong mom and dad," Taeil commented. Jisung and Chenle smiled sweetly, and Taeyong beamed with pride. 

"I love that you guys call us mom and dad," Ten spoke, ruffling Chenle and Jisung's hair. "They can call Taeyong 'dad', but they're not allowed to call Taeyong daddy. That's my job," Ten said with a wink. 

"Why not?" Chenle asked quietly. 

"Ten! You're disgusting," Johnny said. "Let's get out of here babe." He and Taeil walked away with horrified expressions as Jisung and Chenle looked confused. But, Ten and Taeyong just laughed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I know this story still has a ways to go, but I am begin the planning stages on my next fic. Here are my ideas; let me know in the comments if you have any questions and/or which is your favorite!
> 
> a. Nomin high school au, featuring a nerdy Jeno and a trashy Jaemin (think if a nerdy kid stereotype went out with a teenage kesha)  
> b. Markhyuck summer fight 2017 au. My head canon of that summer, with a big focus on the dreamies. Probably very angsty  
> c. johnil, dojae, taeten, yuwin, and luwoo ABO au. Probably angsty as well but with many fluff moments. Definitely smut and probably will need some warnings.   
> d. Medieval/fantasy au. ships not decided yet, but for sure taeten, johnil and luwoo. Also angsty. Think knights and kings and lords and princesses


	18. Cabin

because of the scare with Jaemin almost drowning, they decided it would be better to play it safe. While the boys in cabin E1 gathered their blankets and pillows to relax in the other cabin, those already inside laid down on the floor or in their beds to just relax. Jeno and Jaemin went to go grab string for friendship bracelets, Mark and Donghyuck brought everyone dry cereal from the dining hall, and the rest just relaxed. 

Doyoung and Jaehyun were sitting on their bed, backs against the wood in the back of the cabin. Their legs dangled over the side but to their relief, no one tried to bug them. Jaehyun had his head on Doyoung's shoulder, looking over at the book in his hands. Jaehyun's auburn hair tickled Doyoung's chin, but he didn't want to tell him to move. Jaehyun just looked too comfortable. 

"Did you already finish your last one?" Jaehyun asked softly, not wanting to bother him. Doyoung nodded and looked at Jaehyun out of the corner of his eye. 

"Yeah," Doyoung responded. "The Great Gatsby is really short." 

"What are you reading now?" 

"The Catcher in the Rye," Doyoung explained, showing Jaehyun the cover. Jaehyun nodded and snuggled into Doyoung's shoulder, and Doyoung flipped the page. 

Jaehyun knew that Doyoung didn't like to be interrupted while he was reading, so he was hesitant to ask something of him. "D-Doyoung?" He asked quietly. 

"Hm?" Doyoung responded, looking down at Jaehyun. 

"Could you read to me again?" He asked in the smallest voice, and to his surprise, Doyoung's expression bloomed into a smile. 

"Of course, Jae," Doyoung spoke happily, and he started to read the words aloud from the page. 

Jaehyun exhaled and relaxed as he listened to Doyoung's gentle voice repeat the words from the page, his tone focused yet affectionate. Jaehyun didn't think there was anything better than this; Doyoung was letting Jaehyun into a very important and intimate part of his life: his love of books. It was such a simple thing, but somehow, it left them both so vulnerable. 

Everything about Doyoung still excited Jaehyun. Even though their relationship was over a year old at that point, and even though they'd become incredibly comfortable with one another, being Doyoung's boyfriend was an adventure no matter what. 

Jaehyun knew what he had to say. 

"Doyoung?"

"What?" Doyoung whined. "You ask me to read to you and then you interrupt me, god Jae-"

"I love you." 

"O-oh," Doyoung responded, looking at Jaehyun with surprise as all the annoyance disappeared from his face. Doyoung had been feeling those feelings for quite some time, but he was afraid Jaehyun would think he was rushing things. "I-I love you too." 

Jaehyun's beamed that beautiful smile of his and Doyoung pulled him in for a loving kiss, giggling against his lips as he pulled away. 

"Now keep reading! I wanna know what happens," Jaehyun complained. Doyoung stuck his tongue out at Jaehyun, but opened the book back up and read from it again. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Yukhei was sitting in his bed also, bored out of his mind, trying to ignore the rattling of the bed above him. Ever since Ten and Taeyong had finally had sex a few days prior, their make out sessions had become much more intense. It was slightly annoying to the others, but it was way worse for Jungwoo and Yukhei: they were the ones who had to sleep underneath the couple, after all. 

Yukhei suspected that was why Jungwoo left the cabin a few minutes before, offering to bring everyone more cereal. Yukhei offered to go with him but Jungwoo seemed hesitant, so Yukhei decided to stay. Now, he was super bored, just watching everyone else make bracelets and cuddle with their boyfriends. Yukhei sucked at the bracelets, and his boyfriend wasn't around. But Yukhei didn't mind too much: he knew how introverted Jungwoo was, and how sometimes he just needed a moment alone. Although Yukhei hated being without him, he knew it made their relationship so much better. 

But when Jungwoo returned Yukhei couldn't help but smile brightly, sitting up and beckoning his boyfriend closer. Jungwoo handed out the cereal before sitting down on the bed again, right next to Yukhei. Yukhei swung Jungwoo's legs over his thighs, facing him. 

"How was your walk, baby?" Yukhei asked. Jungwoo shrugged and grinned. 

"It was fine," he answered simply. Yukhei reached to hug him and Jungwoo panicked. "Wait! You're gonna crush it!" 

Yukhei looked confused until Jungwoo pulled a hand made flower crown out of his jacket; white and yellow wildflowers stiched together. Jungwoo smiled softly and placed it on the top of Yukhei's big head. 

"Is this for me?" Yukhei asked with surprise, his huge hands delicately touching the flower crown on top of his head. 

Jungwoo nodded and smiled. "Do you like it?"

"Of course! It's so cute...just like you," Yukhei answered with a greasy wink. Jungwoo blushed, looked shyly down at the ground, but Yukhei cupped both his cheeks so they could lock eyes. 

"You're just so pure...and nice..." Yukhei spoke with his big smile, looking over Jungwoo's pretty face. Jungwoo occasionally locked eyes with him but mostly looked away; even though he and Yukhei had been dating for over a week he still got really shy around him. 

"Ah...th-thank you..." Jungwoo responded gently. Yukhei grinned, knowing his boyfriend's shyness had nothing to do with him not wanting Yukhei and everything to do with how Yukhei always made him feel so special. 

Jungwoo looked up at Yukhei hopefully and Yukhei smiled, knowing Jungwoo wanted a kiss. Yukhei leaned closer and pressed their soft lips together, humming and tangling his fingers in the back of Jungwoo's hair. 

Jungwoo was the first to pull away, his cheeks stained perfectly pink. Yukhei watched him with a big grin on his face. Maybe, they were falling in love. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Yuta shouldn't have been here. He was seated on the floor next to Renjun, playing war with him, Chenle, and Jisung. Yuta should not have been playing cards on a cabin day with a bunch of middle schoolers, and he knew that. He should've been with Sicheng. 

But, as always it seemed, Sicheng was occupied. He was seated in Kun's bed, resting his head on Kun's shoulder, talking about everything and nothing with stupid fucking Kun. Yuta seethed with anger; it was just so unfair. Sicheng was his boyfriend. Yuta was Sicheng's first love and Yuta knew it. 

Yuta had officially decided that Kun was an asshole. It was set in his mind, he knew it for sure, there was no question about it. Yuta understood Kun's motives, who he was, and what he wanted. But to Yuta's surprise, the one person he thought he knew best was the one confusing him. I

t seemed like Sicheng had changed so much this summer. During the school year he and Yuta had spoken every single day without fail, telling each other about every little detail of their lives and exchanging loving words. Now, Yuta was lucky if he got more than a 'good morning' and a 'good night' from Sicheng when they were getting in and out of bed. It wasn't fair, it wasn't what it was supposed to be, and most of all, it hurt. 

The one thing Yuta couldn't understand was why. Why was Sicheng abandoning him like this? Why didn't Sicheng want to be near him, talk to him, hold him, kiss him like he was so desperate to before? Hell, last summer Sicheng had been the one pining after an oblivious Yuta. Was Sicheng upset about his parents not liking Yuta? That didn't make sense, since Sicheng had ignored all his parents restrictions on their talking time during the school year, and had said it didn't matter when they first came to camp. Did Sicheng fall for Kun instead? Then, Yuta wondered, why hadn't Sicheng just broken up with him already. 

Yuta had spent the whole school year looking forward to his time with Sicheng and being at camp. Now, he was just miserable. 

"Yuta? It's your turn," Chenle said softly. 

"Oh. Yeah," Yuta responded, returning back to reality and shaking his head. He put a card down and zoned out once again. 

Finally looking up from the cards in his hand, he spared a glance up at Sicheng and Kun. But when he did, he immediately regretted it, his blood fucking boiled. 

Sicheng was sitting on Kun's lap, right out in the cabin for everyone to see. Yuta had made himself remain calm at the other touches, but that was just too much. Kun's arms were wrapped around Sicheng's beautiful waist and Sicheng was smiling and Yuta didn't want to cry in front of everyone so he tried his best to just stay angry instead. 

He dropped his cards on the ground and, ignoring Renjun, Chenle, and Jisung's confused looks and questions, stomped over to Kun's bed in the back of the caption. 

"Wh-what are you guys doing?" Yuta asked with an exasperated cry. 

"Uh, nothing, dude," Kun responded. Yuta squinted; Kun knew exactly what he was doing. 

"Sicheng, why are you sitting on his lap?" Yuta asked, trying his best to control his tone so he wouldn't upset Sicheng. 

"Yuta, it's comfy!" Sicheng whined and pouted, as if Yuta was about to make him get off. The aggression in Yuta's expression dissapeared and was replaced by sadness as Kun smirked at him, his head on Sicheng's shoulder. 

Yuta took a couple deep breaths right then and there, just to prevent himself from bursting into tears or punching Kun in the face. Kun grinned back at him, and Yuta couldn't take it any more. 

Without another word Yuta stormed out of the cabin, brushing past everyone carelessly, even accidentally stepping on Chenle's foot. But he didn't notice, didn't care, he could barely even hear what was going on around him. 

When the cabin door slammed behind him Sicheng reached to get up and go after him, but Kun tightened his grip around Sicheng's waist. Sicheng slumped back into Kun's lap, a confused and worried look on his face. 

Everyone else in the cabin was silent, looking between the door and their friends and Sicheng and Kun. 

Kun chuckled. "What's his problem?" He asked the group. 

No one responded, but they all went back to doing their own things. Sicheng pushed himself off Kun's lap, finally, and dug himself into his own covers. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Down on the floor, Mark and Donghyuck looked up at the door, watching Yuta go with surprised and scared expressions. 

"I wonder what's going on with them," Mark whispered, scooting in closer to his boyfriend. 

"I dunno exactly," Donghyuck answered, always the gossip. "But Kun's tearing them apart for sure."

"You think?" Mark whispered in surprise. 

Donghyuck gave him a deadpan expression. "Are you blind? Of course he is." 

Mark sighed, resting his head on Donghyuck's shoulder and holding onto his arm. "Well...at least I don't have to worry about you." 

"You know, you might," Donghyuck responded. Mark looked up at him with surprise. "I might be too obsessed with you." 

Mark giggled and hid his face in Donghyuck's shoulder, peeking up at him with just his eyes visible to Donghyuck. Donghyuck grinned back at him, his tan skin glowing in the light shining through the planks of the cabin walls, and in that moment, Mark knew Donghyuck was the most beautiful thing in the world. 

Donghyuck ruffled his hair, and Mark squeaked. 

"Don't forget that I'm older than you!"

"Only by less than a year. And anyways, I look older than you." 

"How old do you think you look?" Mark asked. 

"Sixteen, probably." 

Mark hid his laughter. "You think you look like Johnny?"

"Hey!" Donghyuck whined loudly as Mark laughed. "Well, I definitely look like Taeil." 

"Hey!" Johnny cried. 

"I do not look like a thirteen year old," Taeil grumbled. 

"Go back to your naps!" Donghyuck yelled. 


	19. Boat

The next morning at the end of breakfast, Sehun approached the table where the eighteen eleven to sixteen year old boys were sitting. 

"So, today is the party boat after breakfast." Sehun looked over at the confused face of the newbies and the younger kids and explained further.  "Basically, we take a couple of motorboats and tie them together and go out onto the lake with the other teenagers. There's music and snacks and it's pretty fun," Sehun said. 

"Sure, we're down," Taeyong responded after a silent affirmation from the other boys. 

"Alright, see you then," Sehun spoke, and the boys followed their counselor out of the dining hall. After changing into swim clothes, they met up with the counselors and the seventeen and eighteen year olds. This time, Sehun and Jongdae (the sixteen to eighteens counselor) were accompanied by one of the maintenance guys, the five to sevens counselor, and both of the lifeguards. 

"Aren't you guys supposed to be watching the pool?" Johnny questioned. 

"We closed it for today. Anyways, we'll be the lifeguards for you guys," the shorter of the two responded. 

Sehun and Jongdae led the group down to the lake, the motorboats already set up for them. The teens and counselor hopped on and sped off towards the center of the lake. 

Once they got to the middle, when the shorelines looked distant and the deep blue water surrounded them for yards and yards, Sehun opened his bag and pulled out chips and capri suns for the group. 

"I thought Kyungsoo was gonna make us sandwiches!" Minseok, the shorter lifeguard whined. The kids frowned at the thought of missing the yummy sandwiches that the chef made. 

"You know how much he hates these kids," Sehun bluntly responded. 

"Hey!" Johnny whined. 

"You know it's true," Sehun mumbled back. The teenagers shrugged with admittance, and went their own separate ways. 

Johnny grabbed a few bags of chips and sat himself down next to Taeil, their legs dangling off the boat and into the water. He passed Taeil two of the four bags of chips he grabbed and cracked open the root beer from the cooler. 

Taeil gave him a smile. "Plain chips, my favorite! How did you remember?"

"I remembered because you have weird taste," Johnny responded, opening up his bag of barbeque chips. Taeil gave him a look and Johnny grinned back at him. He surreptitiously stole a chip out of Taeil's bag, but Taeil just smiled and pretended not to notice. 

The two of them kicked the murky lake water with their foot as the watched the other boys, sitting on the boat or playing in the water, some great swimmers, some clinging to the edge of the boat for dear life. 

Johnny looked at Taeil as the light of the late morning sun shined down upon him. Even though and he loved all of the other campers like family, Taeil was by far the most precious to him. Taeil would always be his number one; his favorite. 

Taeil finally noticed Johnny's staring and turned back to him, biting his lower lip in a shy smile. 

"What is it?" Taeil asked softly. 

In a moment of vulnerability Johnny flushed pink; Taeil looked awfully pretty with the sunlight filtering through his hair. There was so much he wanted to say but just couldn't in that moment. He wasn't sure if Taeil felt the same. 

"Ah, nothing," Johnny responded, looking back down to the water, the waves brushing past as the younger campers splashed the water about. Taeil didn't say anything for a moment but put his head on Johnny's shoulder, and Johnny instinctively put his hand on Taeil's legs. He held back his teasing about Taeil's stature for the moment, but he did always love how almost his entire hand could wrap around Taeil's thighs. 

"Stop being weird," Taeil said quietly, "And just tell me what's up." 

Johnny hummed and sighed; he and Taeil were too in sync now to slip things past each other. He had to admit how he felt. 

"Taeil...I love you." 

Johnny felt Taeil's head lift from his shoulder and panicked, looking back at a clearly surprised Taeil. 

"Wh-what?"

"Shit, I knew you didn't-"

"No, Johnny," Taeil interrupted. "I just....didn't expect you to fall for me so quickly." 

"Do you--"

"Of course. Johnny, I...I love you too." 

~~~~~~~~~~

Jaehyun swam over to his boyfriend and pouted. 

Normally, he would just let Doyoung do his thing and read, maybe cuddle with him and keep him company or just let him be and play games with the others. But today was different; they were all on a boat in the middle of the lake, the sun shining down on them, the sounds of teen boy laughter and music from a boombox radio filling the air. He wanted to do something with his boyfriend!

That's why Jaehyun rested his arms and head on Doyoung's legs, his hair dripping all over Doyoung's skin. He'd just been swimming around the boat when he'd came back to bug his boyfriend, who was still completely dry, although he was in his swimsuit. He was leaning against the white plastic of the boat, reading his book with his legs dangling over the edge. 

"What?" Doyoung whined, moving the book away from his face. "You got me all wet!"

"We're on a boat, you know. That's kinda the point," Jaehyun responded with a giggle. Doyoung folded the page of his book over and pushed it with the rest of his stuff, brushing Jaehyun's wet hair out of his eyes.

"I'm not exactly the best swimmer ever. I mean, I'm decent, but..." 

"You can hold onto the side of the boat!" 

"But..."

Jaehyun jokingly glared at him. "That's it." With a sneaky grin and a confused look from Doyoung, Jaehyun grabbed the end of his leg and tugged him into the water. 

Jaehyun laughed at his boyfriend softly until Doyoung's head bobbed above the water, his hair soaked through and a glare on his face. Jaehyun squeaked and began to swim away until Doyoung quickly caught up to him, pulling him back closer and splashing him with water. 

Jaehyun splashed the water back until they were both soaked and giggling like little kids, Doyoung suddenly wrapping his arms around Jaehyun and pouting. 

"I hate you," he mumbled, with no real truth in his words. 

Jaehyun chuckled. "But you love me." 

"Of course I do," Doyoung responded in a small voice, his lips painted in a gentle smile. 

"Aren't you glad I pulled you in? It's fun!" Jaehyun said. 

Doyoung rolled his eyes. "Maybe a little," he mumbled. 

"Oh come on!" 

"Fine! I'm having fun in the water," Doyoung responded, punctuating his words with a big splash to Jaehyun's face. But Jaehyun just giggled, swimming back to Doyoung to collect his kiss.

~~~~~~~~~~

Mark and Donghyuck swam behind the boat, treading water and watching everything that was going on, as usual. Now that Jeno and Jaemin were together, they had other matters to focus on. 

"Okay...the whole Yuta, Sicheng, and Kun thing is definitely weird," Mark said quietly to Donghyuck. 

"I know, right?" Donghyuck responded in a surprised yet soft voice, his arm wrapped around Mark's waist. 

"It just...doesn't make sense. Last year, Yuta was the oblivious one. Sicheng was crazy about him, and now...everything's changed." 

"It is odd. Did they get into a fight?"

"I mean, maybe..."

Donghyuck sighed. "That can't be it. Yuta doesn't seem upset with Sicheng, just Kun. And Sicheng hasn't really been cold to Yuta." 

"It makes me feel bad. Like, Yuta and Sicheng are a big part of our group. If they're torn apart, what do we do?" Mark said sadly. Donghyuck sighed; he knew how much their group friendship meant to Mark, especially since these were really the only friends he had. 

"Are you guys talking about..." Jeno started, looking between Sicheng and Kun playing in the water and Yuta aggressively eating chips on the boat with Renjun. 

"Uh-huh," Mark answered. 

"It's so weird!" Jaemin whispered. "I know I wasn't a part of the group last year, but they were so clingy to each other. I always saw them together." 

"Yeah, they were inseperable last year," Donghyuck answered. 

"Do either of you even know what's going on?" Mark asked. 

"Renjun said Yuta just complains about Kun, saying that Sicheng is his boyfriend and all and that he shouldn't be flirting so much. But every time Renjun tries to ask more questions or give Yuta some advice, Yuta just brushes him off." 

"He really should just talk to Sicheng about it," Donghyuck said bluntly. 

"Not everyone is as confident as you, ya know," Jeno responded. "But he could at least ask one of us to do it."

"I would get involved, but I'm not really close to either of them, or Kun either. Are any of you guys?" Donghyuck asked, but everyone shook their heads. 

"Well, I know Renjun's close to all of them. He and Yuta always get stuck together, plus he, Sicheng, and Kun are all from the same state," Jaemin explained. 

"We'll ask him about it. I promise," Jeno responded, seeing the nervous look in Mark's eyes. 

"I hope we can fix this. I hope their relationship can still work," Mark said with a whistful look in his eyes. 

~~~~~~~~~~

"Are you getting sick?" Yukhei asked with a worried look in his eyes. 

Jungwoo shook his head back, his arms wrapped around him. "I don't think so." 

Even though the sun was out, Jungwoo was desperately cold. In just his swim trunks, he was vulnerable to the cold and winds of the lake. He didn't really want to go into the water and get even more freezing, so kindly, Yukhei had agreed to stay with him. 

"Come closer," Yukhei said softly, rubbing the sides of Jungwoo's arms as they sat on the boat. Jungwoo scootched in closer until he was practically on Yukhei's lap, shivering a little in his arms. 

"I get cold really easily," Jungwoo explained in his quiet gentle voice. Yukhei nodded, but Jungwoo could see that his nervous weren't soothed. Suddenly, Yukhei patted Jungwoo's head and stood up. Jungwoo watched him go in a panic but Yukhei returned moments later with his hands full. 

"Maybe you need to eat something," Yukhei said, his voice sounding unusual since it was so quiet. Jungwoo hummed and took the chips, eating them quietly. 

"Thank you," he said quietly, holding one up for Yukhei to take. But instead of using his hands Yukhei just bit the chip out of Jungwoo's hands, both of them giggling. 

"Oh! I have this for you too. I even took the trash out of the pockets." Yukhei lifted his letterman football jacket from his hands, draping it delicately over Jungwoo's shoulders. Jungwoo responded with a surprised grin, fitting his arms through the sleeves. The jacket was definitely at least a size or two too big for him, but it was cozy and it smelled like Yukhei (which maybe wasn't a good thing, but Jungwoo liked his scent). 

"It's really nice." 

"It looks so cute on you babe!" Yukhei said. "You should keep it or something." 

"No way! I can't keep this. It's too nice," Jungwoo responded, flopping his sleeve-hands. Even though it was just a school letterman jacket, Jungwoo knew it must have been expensive. Anyways, Yukhei worked hard to earn it, as told by the " Quarterback, MVP - 2018" embroided on the right side, the left embroided with his name.

"It's a present now. It's yours," Yukhei insisted, holding Jungwoo's arms down when he tried to take it off. 

"A-are you sure?" Jungwoo stuttered. 

Yukhei grinned. "It's all for you." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I hope you all are enjoying the story so far. If you want to do me a favor, you can rank the couples in the story from favorite to least favorite for me! This will help me know who you want to see. Thank you so much for all of your kind words and stuff! It means a lot to me. 


	20. Truth or Dare or Disaster

During the day time, the boys had agreed to go their separate ways and spend alone time as couples. Scattered around the camp, everyone got free time with their boyfriends, or for those who were single and Yuta, got to have a casual talk away from the big group with the others. 

So that night, they all decided it would be best for them to come together as a group. Of course, the best way to do that would be through a big group game of truth or dare. 

"I'll start," Doyoung said with a smirk; it was clear that he had a truth or dare in mind. "Johnny, truth or dare?"

"Dare, let's start this game off right."

"I dare you to make Taeil blush," Doyoung spoke. Taeil's eyes grew wide but Johnny just grinned back at him, inching closer. 

"Do you know what you fucking do to me, love?" Johnny whispered in Taeil's ear, quiet enough so only Taeil could hear. "God, that night at the teen movie you were so good for me, made me so har-"

"That was easy Johnny," Jaehyun said. "He's a tomato already." 

Johnny pulled away and looked over Taeil, immediately chuckling. Taeil's face really had turned a bright red, and Johnny couldn't hold back a chuckle. 

"You suck," Taeil whined quietly. 

"I know," Johnny responded, and Taeil had to look away to hold back his own giggles. 

"Anyways," Johnny drawled. "Yuta, truth or dare?"

"Truth," Yuta answered quietly. 

"Uh...do you miss home?" Johnny asked. 

Yuta was silent for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, I do. I miss when Sicheng and I would talk for hours on the phone and stuff."

Sicheng looked down at his lap and Kun rubbed his shoulder, while the others whispered to themselves quietly

"Why don't you just do that here?" Chenle asked with genuine confusion, but Yuta didn't answer, shaking his head and swallowing. 

"Donghyuck, truth or dare?"

Donghyuck and Mark shared a look and a nod. "I'll pick truth." 

"Hm...what drew you to Mark in the first place?"

Donghyuck thought for a moment. "Well, obviously he's the cutest person to ever exist. And he's smart, and silly, and funny. But honestly..." Donghyuck started, looking over at Mark's face and smiling before turning back to the group. "I think we're just connected. Like, soulmates or something." 

"Oh god, that's some bs," Renjun groaned as Mark tried to hide his smiling and blushing face.

"And that's why you're single," Donghyuck responded. Renjun flipped him off and Donghyuck gave him a big grin before resting his hand on Mark's thigh. "Jaemin, truth or dare?"

"Dare, I'm sick of these boring truths," Jaemin answered. 

"Go french kiss Jeno," Donghyuck responded. 

"What is with you and kissing?" Jeno whined as Jaemin scooted closer to him and Jeno tilted up Jaemin's chin with his fingers. 

"Come on, it's hot!" Donghyuck said. 

"What's french kissing again?" Jaemin whispered in Jeno's ear. 

"Pretty sure it's like kissing with tongue," Jeno answered. 

"Open mouth?" Jeno nodded, and the two of them leaned in. 

Since they were so young had only been together a week, the two boys were still quite unused to kissing. French kissing was territory they definitely had not entered yet, so when Jeno slipped his tongue inside Jaemin's tongue Jaemin almost pulled away at the foreign sensation. Jaemin pushed his tongue back and now there was way too much tongue inside both of their mouths but at the same time, it was kinda fun. 

They both pulled away, making eye contact and grimacing at each other. Immediately after they chuckled quickly. 

"It gets better, I promise," Taeyong assured the thirteen year olds as they wiped their mouths from all the spit. 

"Uh," Jaemin paused to laugh for a moment, still feeling awkward after their french kiss, "Kun, truth or dare." 

"Dare," he responded simply. 

Jeno shared a look with Jaemin. They'd been talking with Renjun about the whole Yuta/Sicheng/Kun situation, and decided that Yuta needed some sort of big catalyst to actually confront Sicheng about their conflict. 

"I dare you to kiss the cutest person in the room."

Before Sicheng even had time to react Kun leaned over and placed the lightest and quickest of pecks on his lips. Sicheng jerked back, unsure of how to even react, looking between Yuta and Kun with wide eyes. Yuta swallowed, staring at Sicheng with an unreadable expression, before storming out of the cabin. Kun tried to hide his smile and leaned back against a bed, his expression showing everyone that he thought he'd won. 

"Okay," Kun said slowly as everyone silently looked around, not knowing quite what to do. "Jeno, truth or dare?"

"Um...I'll pick truth," he said. He didn't want to have to do something crazy with Jaemin in front of everyone again. 

"What's the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you?"

As soon as Kun asked the question, Jeno turned bright red and Jaemin began to giggle. 

"Uh..." Jeno paused to chuckle uncomfortably. "So it was really cold the other night so me and Jaemin decided to just both sleep in Jaemin's bed together...but as soon as I got under the covers..." Jeno stopped talking and covered his face with his hands. 

"He let out the loudest, grossest fart I swear I'd ever heard!" Jaemin said, finishing Jeno's story. 

Immediately, everyone in the room began to laugh, and Jeno mumbled a quiet 'stop', hiding his face in Jaemin's shoulder. Eventually everyone calmed down, Jaemin rubbing Jeno's shoulder, and Jeno sat up. 

"Jungwoo, truth or dare?" Jeno asked, his face still pink. 

"I guess truth," Jungwoo answered. 

"What's your um," Jeno started, "What's that word, kink?" 

"How do you know that word?" Johnny asked Jeno in a loud voice. 

"Donghyuck told me what it meant last year, okay?" Jeno responded, pointing at Donghyuck accusingly. Donghyuck just smirked back at him. 

"Anyways, Jungwoo, do you know what it means?" Doyoung asked. 

"Yes I do," Jungwoo responded. "And my kink is...um...uh...being...uh...like...spanked and stuff." His voice became progressively quieter as he spoke but everyone in the cabin heard what he said. 

"Ooh, kinky!" Ten teased as Jungwoo looked anywhere but at Yukhei, instead choosing to make very intense eye contact with the floor. Yukhei looked at Jungwoo and bit his lip before turning away, letting Jungwoo work through his embarrassment in peace. 

"That would be kinda hot," Donghyuck said, and Mark returned his words with a glare. 

"Leave the poor boy alone, he looks like he's gonna die," Taeil said. Jungwoo was bright red and his sweat was visible. 

Jungwoo cleared his throat and shook his head. "Um, anyways," he spoke quietly. "Chenle, truth or dare?"

"I'm gonna go with dare because you all are so boring and picked truth," he answered. 

"I don't think that last truth was very boring," Renjun interjected. 

"Do you know what a kink is?" Kun asked Chenle, and Taeyong whacked his arm. 

"Donghyuck explained what it was to all of us," Chenle answered. "Jungwoo, give me my dare!" 

"I dare you to...give someone a kiss on the cheek," Jungwoo spoke; he didn't want to give the younger boy anything too risque. 

"Aw! Come give your mother a kiss!" Ten said. 

"No, no! What about your hardworking father?" Taeyong added. 

But to everyone's surprise, Chenle just shook his head at his sort of parents. Instead he turned to Jisung, he was sitting to his right, and planted a kiss directly on his cheek. 

Chenle fell unusually silent and both of them began to turn pink as Donghyuck and Mark shared a scheming look. Chenle noticed the others looking around curiously, and for once, wanted the attention off of himself. 

"Dad, truth or dare?"

"I'll pick truth, whatever," Taeyong answered. 

"What's the best sex song?" He asked. He knew that he had to ask a sexy question or else the other boys would be talking about Chenle's cheek kiss for the rest of the night. 

"Honey you are not allowed to ask those kinds of questions!" Ten cried. 

"I'm not a baby, I'm twelve!" Chenle responded. 

"Same difference," Johnny mumbled. Jisung stared at the floor, he was still sort of in a daze. 

"Answer the question dad," Chenle said, crossing his arms and pouting. 

"Fine," Taeyong sighed; Chenle's pout could always get him whatever he wanted. "I guess, anything by Lana Del Rey is good for sex." 

"Agreed," Donghyuck responded. 

"You're a virgin," Mark mumbled pointedly at his boyfriend. Donghyuck just gave him a once over, and even though Mark responded with a glare he was blushing. 

"Anyways, my darling Ten, truth or dare?" Taeyong started, smiling at his boyfriend.

"Hm...I'll go with dare," Ten answered. 

"I dare you to make out with me." Ten nodded in agreement and just as they were leaning in, Donghyuck interrupted. 

"Hey, that's against the rules!" Donghyuck cried. 

"Says who?" Ten asked. 

"Says you guys! Last year when I dared Mark to kiss me you guys said that was against the rules."

"I don't know if that would've been fully consensual..." Johnny spoke. 

"You don't know that," Mark asked. 

"Let's just let them do it. Get it over with. We don't have to look," Doyoung said. 

"Maybe they'll get it out of their systems," Yukhei mumbled. 

"Whatever! We're doing it," Taeyong said, then passionately kissed Ten. Taeil gagged loudly at the sight and everyone looked away as they kissed deeply, then pulled away. 

"Alright, it's over guys, that wasn't the worst thing in the world, right?" Ten asked. 

"I beg to differ," Renjun grumbled. 

"Jisungie, truth or dare?"

"Um, I pick truth, mom." 

"Hm...what's the most disturbing thing that ever happened to you?" 

Jisung's face turned a soft pink and he bit his lip. "Um...probably, um...when I walked in on, um..." He gave a brief look at Taeyong and Ten before looking down at the floor again. 

Ten and Taeyong grimaced guiltily and began to chuckle. 

"Oh, yeah, I guess that makes sense," Ten said awkwardly. 

"What happened?" Jaemin asked. 

"Jisung walked in on us when we were, you know," Taeyong started. 

"Fucking," Ten mouthed. 

"Oh my god!" Chenle screamed, and everyone began to laugh or grimace in second hand embarrassment for all of them. 

"I've been trying to forget that happened," Jisung said. 

"Maybe let's stop talking about it, alright?" Taeyong spoke. 

"Renjun, truth or dare?" 

"Uh, I guess I'll pick dare," Renjun answered. 

"Hm, I dare you to chug five cups of coffee," Jisung said. 

"Come on, it's night time! I won't be able to sleep."

"I'm so jealous," Jaemin whined. "I love coffee." 

"I think there's some in the dining hall," Johnny said. Renjun nodded and got up, running down to the dining hall and coming back just a few moments later with the whole pitcher of coffee. 

"I'm sure that's more than five," Jungwoo said. 

"I thought the older kids could use it. You're always so tired in the morning," Renjun responded, gesturing to Johnny and Taeil. 

"Waking up before noon is pure torture!" Johnny responded. 

"This dare is pure torture," Renjun responded as he poured himself the first cup and chugged it, gagging immediately after. 

"I hate coffee," Renjun whined. 

"Can I have some?" Jaemin asked, but Jeno tugged his arm back. 

"No way babe, you'll be up bugging me all night," Jeno responded. Renjun poured his second cup and downed it, also drinking the next three in quick succession. 

"You are dead to me," Renjun pointedly spoke to Jisung before turning to Yukhei. 

"Truth or dare?" He asked. 

"I'll pick dare," he responded, biting his lip sleazily. 

"Hm...give Jungwoo a hickey." 

Ten and Taeyong were about to turn to him with surprise when Renjun stopped them with an eye roll. "Donghyuck explained hickeys to us last year, that's how we know what they are." 

The older boys sighed and glared at a grinning Donghyuck as Yukhei turned to Jungwoo wearing a big grin. Although the younger boys knew what hickeys were, Jungwoo only sort of had an idea of what they entailed, but he was excited to get to kiss his boyfriend again. 

Yukhei pulled Jungwoo closer with his big arms and captured his soft lips in a kiss, holding him very close. He turned Jungwoo so he was facing the wall of the cabin, his big hand landing on Jungwoo's ass in a sort of smacking motion. Jungwoo was surprised, maybe a little less embarrassed that he had to admit his kink earlier, and made a noise in Yukhei's mouth. Instead of kissing him again Yukhei placed his lips on Jungwoo's neck, kissing the pale skin softly before sucking slightly. Jungwoo whimpered and clutched Yukhei's t-shirt, it kinda hurt but it definitely felt good, and when Yukhei pulled away he was breathless. 

Yukhei smiled back at him. "Cutie," he mumbled as Jungwoo rubbed his neck. Jungwoo blushed and smiled softly, and they moved back into the circle, where everyone was staring at them in shock. 

"That was fucking hot," Donghyuck said bluntly. 

"The boys is right," Johnny added. Jungwoo blushed and rubbed his neck. 

"Yukhei, that's so dark!" Doyoung whined, leaning in towards Jungwoo and looking at the purple mark on his neck. 

"It'll probably fade before you go home," Yukhei said. 

"Probably?" Jungwoo cried. "What if it doesn't?" 

"Mark, truth or dare?" Yukhei asked, ignoring his boyfriend's protests. 

Maybe Mark liked the idea of hickies, but definitely not in front of the rest of his friends. "Truth," he answered. "For my own protection." 

"What's your favorite nickname that Donghyuck has given you?" 

Mark started smiling as soon as he heard the question, resting his head on Donghyuck's shoulder. "I really like it when he calls me baby boy," Mark answered, a little bit shy but happy just thinking about it. Donghyuck turned and kissed the top of his head and everyone cooed. 

"Aw, our baby couple!" Johnny said softly. 

"That's adorable," Ten added with a grin. 

"Anyways, uh," Mark started, still blushing. "Jaehyun, truth or dare?"

"Dare, for sure." 

"I dare you to, um," Mark began to smirk. "Grab Doyoung's butt." 

Doyoung rolled his eyes dramatically and Jaehyun chuckled awkwardly, Doyoung turning around and sticking out his butt a little. 

"If anyone tells anybody outside of this cabin about this...they're dead. I swear." 

"Not even pictures?" Renjun asked jokingly, trying to control his coffee jitters. 

"I will fucking murder you," Doyoung said with great anger as Jaehyun squeezed Doyoung's right ass cheek. As soon as he was done, Doyoung sat back down normally. 

"You have a nice butt," Jaehyun said casually. Doyoung just glared at him, and Jaehyun cleared his throat. "Taeil, truth or dare?"

"Please, no butt grabbing for me or Johnny." Johnny visibly deflated. "I pick truth." 

"What's Johnny's sexiest feature?" Jaehyun asked. 

"]Probably his muscles or deep voice," Taeil explained. "Johnny's, like, definitely the sexiest person at camp though, so there's a lot of things about him to choose from." 

"I don't know about that, I think Taeyong's pretty fucking sexy," Ten answered. 

"You both are biased, those are your boyfriends," Renjun answered. 

"Then who do you think is the sexiest person at camp?" Donghyuck asked. 

"None of you! None of you guys are even remotely sexy," Renjun spoke. 

"Suit yourself, sweety," Ten responded. 

"Let me ask!" Taeil cried. "Sicheng, truth or dare?" 

"Truth," Sicheng mumbled. Even though it had been a while since Yuta left the cabin, he was still quite distracted. Anyways, he didn't want to do anything physical with anyone but Yuta. 

"Do you like Kun?" 

Immediately, the whole cabin fell dead silent. Kun's arrogant attitude disappeared immediately, and he stared at the floor, his eyes occasionally peeking at Sicheng. 

"Like....as a friend? Or romantically?" Sicheng asked. His heart thumped loudly; everyone but Kun was looking at him and he didn't know why they were asking him this and he missed Yuta. 

"Romantically," Taeil clarified. 

Sicheng made a confused expression. "No, I don't," he stated bluntly. "I-I have a boyfriend, you guys all know that. I'm with Yuta and I love him. I don't like Kun like that." 

Sicheng didn't look but he could hear Kun move as far from him as possible. Everyone else swallowed thickly or looked around awkwardly or still stared at Sicheng and he was so confused. 

"Um, anyways...um..." 

"I think we should all sleep," Doyoung interrupted. 

"Yup," Kun said loudly, immediately leaving the cabin to go shower. Everyone else agreed too, and went to their individual beds.

Sicheng swallowed and nodded, getting into his and Yuta's bed. But Yuta wasn't there beside him, so he couldn't sleep. 


	21. Deeper Than This

Yuta had finally made his choice. 

After he'd run out of the cabin where the others played truth or dare, the image of Kun's lips on Sicheng's haunted his mind. It left a pit in his stomach and it made him confused, heartbroken, and just plain exhausted. All he wanted to do was sleep; maybe rest would erase that burdensome image from his mind. So he'd made his way to the other cabin, crawled into Jeno's bed, and tried to fall asleep. 

He only slept halfway, hearing the other boys come back in after the game but ignoring their words. Tears had already left his cheeks stained hours ago and he just wanted to forget. He heard Jeno crawl into Jaemin's bed, leaving him be, and he finally fell asleep. 

When he woke up the next morning, he knew what he had to do. 

As soon as the breakfast bell rang he rushed out of the cabin, ignoring the confused stares and whispers from the younger campers. He ran to catch up to Sicheng, and thanked god that for once, Kun wasn't by his side. 

"Can I talk to you?" Yuta asked, the others turning to look at them. "Alone," he added. 

"Y-yeah. I wanted to talk to you too."

They walked back to their cabin side by side but not touching, and Yuta had to control every breath he took to stop himself from crying. He knew what he had to do, but the very idea of it still broke him into pieces. Maybe it was bad that the two of them were missing breakfast, but this conversation was by far more important. 

As soon as they got inside, Sicheng's carefully neutral expression turned into one of great concern and hurt. 

"Yuta, what's going on? It's been so weird lately and-"

"I think we should break up." 

Sicheng looked entirely shell shocked as his jaw dropped. "What?" He screamed, and it was Yuta's turn to look surprised. He'd never heard Sicheng speak that loudly. 

Yuta sighed, trying to control himself, he didn't want to break down in front of the boy he loved so dearly. "I know how you feel, and as hard as I've tried to win you back, I can't. I just...I understand. I'm setting you free," Yuta spoke, cursing himself when he began to sniffle. 

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Sicheng cried. 

"I know you've developed feelings for Kun and you don't love me anymore, Sicheng, it's alright, please don't make this any harder than it has to be. Please, just go. I'm setting you free." 

Tears pooled in Yuta's eyes but Sicheng was outright sobbing, and Yuta couldn't even stand to look at his face. 

"Yuta, I don't love--"

"It's okay, I'm telling you. You can go. All I want is for you to be happy, and it's obvious I can't make you happy anymore. S-so please," Yuta said, choking on his words. "L-let this be over so I can stop hurting you. G-go." 

"You're hurting me now!" Sicheng sobbed, but Yuta continued to shake his head. 

"W-we have to do this."

"But I-"

"Don't lie to me, Sicheng, I don't think it'll make me feel better any more. It's okay that you don't feel that way for me any more." Yuta sniffled loudly. "It's...okay." The words sounded like a lie even to Yuta's lips, but he had to say them. 

Sicheng crouched down on the floor of the cabin and began to cry into his palms, and Yuta had to work to try and understand why Sicheng was so upset. He really believed Sicheng was falling for Kun, and that once Yuta broke things off with him, he'd have to work to contain his happiness. Yuta sighed; this must've been an act to make Yuta feel better. Or maybe, Sicheng felt guilty about emotionally cheating on Yuta. 

"I don't feel anyth-"

"No, Sicheng, you don't have to lie to make me feel better. I'll always love you but it doesn't matter, you have to be happy. N-now, can you go? I-I need to be alone."

"Yuta, I lo-"

"Please, go!" Yuta yelled, and Sicheng stopped speaking. Sniffling loudly, he got up and walked out of the cabin. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Kun entered the cabin after breakfast to find Sicheng a complete wreck. 

He was the first one in the cabin so as soon as the others tried to enter, he shooed them away and shut the cabin door. They returned his actions with confused looks, but didn't bother them any more. 

Immediately, Kun was concerned about Sicheng; he'd never seen him like this before. In fact, Kun didn't think he'd seen anyone like this before. 

Sicheng wasn't just crying, he was sobbing, maybe beyond that point. His face was streaked with tear stains, his eyes were rimmed red, and even his nose was a bit snotty. His sobbing was so loud he couldn't believe he hadn't heard it from outside the cabin, and he was rolling around on the cabin floor. 

"Holy shit," Kun mouthed, grabbing some tissues and handing them to Sicheng. "Are you alright?"

Sicheng just kept on sobbing almost ridiculously, and Kun had his answer. 

"What happened?"

"Yuta broke up with me," Sicheng groaned, and Kun was frozen still. 

Kun thought he would've been overjoyed in this moment. Knowing that Sicheng was single now, and for him to be with, should have left him feeling satisfied, like he'd finally won. Instead, there was a pit in the bottom of his stomach. He knew now for sure that Sicheng felt nothing for him, even if he had accepted all of his flirtation. Seeing Sicheng so broken by this made Kun sure that Sicheng would never feel this way about him. 

"He thinks I don't love him any more but I love him so much!" Sicheng sobbed, and Kun's heart broke for his crush. Sicheng talked about Yuta to him all the time but he never knew their feelings for each other ran this deep.

Even though Kun's feelings for Sicheng ran deep too, he couldn't bear to see him like this. And slowly, he was starting to realize, that maybe...all of this was his fault. That he shouldn't have assumed that Yuta and Sicheng were just flighty teenage lovers, and he could just butt in and take Sicheng for himself. That he should've resigned himself to just be Sicheng's friend, and that was all. Maybe if he'd respected their relationship, his crush on Sicheng would've gone away. 

Guilt washed through him and he couldn't even look at Sicheng's tear-wrecked form. He was trembling and sobbing and this was literally all his fault. 

He had to do something, he had to. He was the one who started this mess, now he had to fix it. 

"Sicheng-- I'm sorry," Kun said. Sicheng briefly looked at him, then returned to crying. "I...I'm sorry I tried to take you away from him. You're too good for that."

"Wh-what?" Sicheng sniffled. "You were?"

Kun sighed, he knew Sicheng could be oblivious, but he didn't realize he was that oblivious. No matter; this was still his problem to fix. 

"I'm gonna go now. I'm gonna fix this, Sicheng, I promise."

"What?" Sicheng mumbled, but Kun was already out the door. 

Kun ran across the grass and pathway until got to the other cabin, pushing his way inside. 

"What the fuck do you want?" Yuta growled from his spot on the floor, his eyes rimmed red as well. 

Kun sighed. "I..." He started then sighed again. 

"Are you here to gloat or something? Because you can fuck off if that's the case." 

"No, I'm not. I'm here to...apologize." At this, Yuta fell silent. "I...I'm sorry. I'm sorry I tried to interfere in your relationship, I really am. I didn't realize how serious you two were. I overstepped my boundaries."

"What's your point?"

"Huh?"

"Why apologize now? Why bother?" Yuta asked. "He likes you. You get to be with him. Thanks for the apology, but it means nothing to me. You feel the guilt only now that you've won."

"I haven't won," Kun admitted, and Yuta looked up at him in surprise. "He doesn't feel anything for me. It was obvious that he hated when I kissed him. And Taeil asked him last night, after you'd left truth or dare, and he said he didn't like me at all. Pretty bluntly in a cruel and twisted way, I might add, but that doesn't matter right now. And if that didn't make it clear enough, his frantic sobbing today really proved that point. He feels nothing for me, nothing."

"Are you sure?" Yuta asked. 

Kun gave him a deadpan look. "He's hysterical right now. Inconsolible. He never wanted to break up with you, dude, he loves you so much." 

"Then why the hell would he-"

"Cling to me like that?" Kun said, finishing his sentence. "He's totally oblivious. He had no idea I was hitting on him. I mean, I guess since he's homeschooled he really doesn't know much about social cues." 

Yuta slowly stood up and shook out his hair. "Where is he?" 

"The other cabin." 

Yuta nodded and walked over to Kun, patting him on the back. "Thanks for being decent, for once." 

Kun chuckled. "I guess it's what I deserve." Yuta nodded again, and ran out of the cabin. 

Now it was Kun's turn to sit on the floor. He sighed loudly, wiping the last of his own tears from his eyes. Now there was no way he'd ever win Sicheng's heart, and he wouldn't have a single friend at camp. But at least he did the right thing. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Yuta's heart broke into a million pieces when he entered the other cabin and saw Sicheng. Kun was right, Sicheng really was hysterical. 

Sicheng didn't even notice when Yuta came in, sobbing loudly, and Yuta couldn't stop himself from rushing over and wrapping his arms around Sicheng's shuddering frame. 

"Yuta!" Sicheng cried immediately. 

"Baby I'm so sorry...." Yuta said, watching Sicheng's pained expression. "I should've listened to you."

"Do you..." Sicheng paused to sniffle. "Not love me anymore."

"Oh my god no...Sichengie, I love you to the moon and back. You're my everything, I swear."

"So...are we not broken up now?"

"As long as you still love me and want me," Yuta promised. 

"Of course I do!" Sicheng cried, burying his face in Yuta's chest. 

Yuta grunted for a moment before managing to pick up Sicheng's still shaking body and put him on their bed. 

"We've gotta talk this out though," Yuta said, sitting down next to him. Sicheng had managed to stop sobbing but was still sniffling, and out of habit Yuta began to pet his hair. "Why did you stop spending time with me? Why did only hang out with him?"

"I dunno...every time we'd hang out I wanted to go to you, but he always asked me to stay, and I felt weird saying no...I always wanted to be alone with you, but I didn't want to make him feel ignored."

"You know he was totally flirting with you, right?"

Sicheng blinked up at Yuta and shook his head. "I really had no idea..."

Yuta sighed. "I should've trusted you more and known you wouldn't emotionally cheat on me." Sicheng sniffled and rubbed his nose. "It's just, because of my ex, sometimes that's hard to do." 

"I shouldn't have pushed you away just to make him not feel bad. I made you feel bad instead, and I love you more than anyone else."

Yuta finally began to smile, for the first time in so long. "It feels so good to hear you say that." 

"If you promise to trust me, I'll promise to always put you first. Alright?" Sicheng said.

"Of course. Pinky promise?"

A smile began to poke out of the corner of Sicheng's lips at Yuta's sillyness, but he and Yuta locked pinkies anyways. Sicheng began to giggle and Yuta returned it with that beaming smile of his. Sicheng didn't realize how much he'd missed Yuta's big grin and happy laughs. 

"I feel like I haven't kissed you in forever..." Sicheng mumbled. 

Yuta laughed. "Then kiss me!"

So Sicheng reached up and did, and finally, everything was right. 


	22. In Love

After all the drama of the previous day with Kun, Yuta, and Sicheng, Johnny and Taeil has insisted they have the cabin to themselves. Johnny and Taeil needed some peace and quiet and anyways, they wanted to avoid seeing Kun’s reaction to everything the next day.

Begrudgingly, Ten and Taeyong had given up cabin privileges to Johnny and Taeil, and after breakfast everyone had cleared out to go to the art shack. Johnny and Taeil were grateful; they loved tie dying and making bracelets, but honestly they just needed a nap (and unlike most of the other places at camp, the art shack had no designated nap spot).

They slept through the breakfast bell and didn’t even wake up until the lunch bell even sounded. Instead of getting real food, they ate snacks saved up from the store, and fell back asleep for yet another nap.

The couple didn’t really wake up until the mid afternoon, when the sun shone through the planks of the cabin and made it much too hot to stay under the covers.

Taeil groaned loudly and flopped on top of Johnny’s broad chest. “I am never sleeping this late again.”

“Come on, you gotta admit it’s nice,” Johnny responded, his voice groggy.

“I feel like I just walked through peanut butter.”

“That’s how it’s supposed to feel,” Johnny responded, brushing Taeil’s hair back to look up at his face. Johnny’s expression bloomed into a bright smile.

“What?” Taeil whined at Johnny’s watching gaze.

“You’re pretty, that’s all.”

Taeil blushed and looked away, rubbing his sleepy eyes. “Don’t lie, I know I don’t look too good right now. I slept too much,” he mumbled.

“Lies,” Johnny mumbled back, taking Taeil’s chin in his fingers and turning his head toward him. Johnny smiled a bit before pressing his lips against Taeil's, sighing, gently into the kiss. Taeil hummed back, the feeling both comforting and refreshing all at once. 

Johnny pulled away with the slightest of sighs and let his large hand rest against the small of Taeil's back, Taeil's body resting on top of his own. "Do you have any idea how much I love you?" Johnny mumbled against Taeil's mouth. 

"Hm...no, I don't think I have any idea of it," Taeil responded in a teasing tone, giggling softly. Johnny grinned back and quickly obliged, pressing Taeil in closer by his hair and kissing him. Johnny's lips were more rough this time but Taeil loved every second of being with him. Even though they hadn't been together than long it just felt like Johnny knew every piece of him by heart, and damn was he good. 

Taeil was still amazed every day at the fact that he and Johnny were still together. Part of him was still waiting for the moment Johnny would realize he wasn't good enough for him, not attractive or funny or adventurous enough and leave him behind. But slowly, Taeil was realizing that would never happen, that Johnny loved him too much, and saw his flaws as some of his best features. 

He loved the little things, like how Johnny smelled, like nature and masculinity but in a way that wasn't threatening, just comforting. He loved Johnny's bright brown eyes and constant smile and the curl of his thick hair, the way clothes rested on his massive frame and his legs moved when he walked. He loved Johnny's laughter, his mumbles, his giggles, his whispers, his adorable noises of disappointment and joy. He loved the feel of Johnny's big hands and big sweaters holding him and keeping him warm, safe, close. He loved the way his lips tasted, like coffee and cheap chapstick, and most of all he loved the way Johnny loved him, cared about him, and always found a way to make him smile. 

Johnny pulled him in closer and harder, their chests together beneath their thin t-shirts, and he could feel Johnny's skin hot against his own. They were in private, for once, and Taeil knew what Johnny wanted. And fuck did Taeil want it so bad too. 

Taeil's fingers brushed the tips of Johnny's hair as Johnny's hands trailed up and down Taeil's body, carressing his waist, back, hips, but not daring to go any further. Taeil flushed, this was already making him feel hot, but he sort of wanted more. Even so, Taeil was never the type to initiate anything. Johnny's experience, as great as it was while they were actually doing this kind of thing, was intimidating to say the least. 

Johnny swiped his tongue against Taeil's bottom lip and Taeil opened his mouth, more used to french kissing now that they'd done it (aka been dared to do it) a few times now. Taeil really loved it; he loved doing anything with Johnny, but he was just really, really good. He couldn't emphasize it enough. 

After a few minutes he pulled away though and Taeil outright whimpered, to his own embarrassment. His blush only grew when Johnny looked him directly in the eyes, his gaze unusually intense as one hand traced the patterns of Taeil's cheek and jawline. 

"Taeil...you're mine, you know..." Johnny muttered. 

Typically Taeil would have laughed at Johnny's cheesy antics, but the moment was so intense that Taeil just turned pink and bit his lip. "Wh-where's this coming from?"

"I know you don't notice, babe, but I see the way the counselors look at you...we're not that far apart from them in age, Sehun's only eighteen and we're sixteen. I see the way they look at you, Taeil. They want you." 

"Stop making things up," Taeil responded with a joking chuckle, but Johnny slowly shook his head.

"I'm not lying, I see it." He sighed softly, pressing his lips to the side of Taeil's neck in a way that made him shudder. "And I don't like it. You're mine." 

"I-I would never-- Johnny, I'm all yours," Taeil responded, embarrassed by how high pitched his voice had become. 

"Good," Johnny muttered, and Taeil swallowed thickly at the tone of his voice. Johnny's grip on Taeil's small body had become tighter and the kisses on his neck had become rougher, and Taeil felt himself panting harder. Taeil had never seen this sort of possessive side of Johnny, and it surprisingly made him feel...things. It made him feel adored, wanted, and somehow it made Johnny even hotter. 

Johnny was full on sucking at spots on Taeil's neck now, pulling down his t-shirt to have more access. Even though it sorta hurt it definitely felt amazing, and Taeil couldn't stop himself from letting out little noises of pleasure. 

Johnny moved up and kissed Taeil's lips briefly before pulling away. 

"Now everyone knows you're taken," he mumbled, his fingers gently touching Taeil's neck. 

"What did you do?" Taeil asked nervously. 

Johnny grinned. "Just gave you a couple of hickies, that's all." Before Taeil could respond, Johnny was kissing Taeil deeply once again. 

As they kissed both of them became bolder, Taeil finally touching somewhere other than Johnny's face and Johnny reaching underneath Taeil's shirt to touch the bare skin of his back. Taeil hummed at the sight and adjusted himself, wincing and biting his lip hard to keep silent as his hard-on brushed Johnny's thigh. 

Johnny pulled away with a grin but kept on touching his waist and hips underneath his top. "You're so horny already, babe." Johnny chuckled breathlessly against Taeil's lips. 

"Didn't I say you were the sexiest person at camp just a few days ago?" Taeil rebutted, trying to hide that he was a little (a lot) embarrassed. 

Now, Johnny gave a real laugh. "That's not true."

"You are!" Taeil whined. Johnny shook his head and kept on kissing Taeil to keep him quiet, but Taeil pushed him away with a giggle. "I'm not letting you kiss me again until you admit it."

Johnny rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'm the sexiest camper, whatever, now kiss me." 

Taeil fulfilled his wishes and kissed him again, the gentle kiss turning hot and heavy as Johnny pressed back, pulling away soon with heavy breaths. 

"Can I switch us?"

"Uh, y-yeah," Taeil responded, and Johnny casually flipped them over so he was on top, as if Taeil was as light as a feather. This only made Taeil surprised, impressed, and even more aroused as Johnny kissed him without a single resting moment. 

"I love you," Johnny said softly, and suddenly, something within Taeil clicked. 

He was ready. He was horny and alone with Johnny for once and they trusted each other, loved each other, in a way Taeil knew he wouldn't find ever again. It was time, now, he only needed the courage to ask. 

"J-Johnny," he stuttered. Johnny looked at him with surprise; it wasn't often Taeil asked for anything in these sort of situations. 

"Yes baby?" Johnny asked, rubbing soft circles on Taeil's cheek as his hand snaked up under Taeil's shirt, the two sensations so different but both so wonderful to Taeil's inexperienced nerves. 

"Uh-um...I, uh....I kinda wanna...." 

Johnny nodded with encouragment, knowing how shy his boyfriend got and giving him the space to really ask. 

"I wanna do it," Taeil finally spoke, his eyes wide and shy and his lips red from all the biting and kissing. Johnny tried not to grin like a lunatic; he'd wanted to do this with Taeil for a while but he hadn't wanted to pressure him. 

"Are you sure?" Johnny asked.

"Yeah," Taeil responded, slowly smiling. "I trust you and I love you." 

"Okay," Johnny mumbled, smiling back at his love. "Let's do it." 

~~~~~~~~~~

"I think..." Johnny spoke between heavy gasps for air, "I'm ready for another nap." 

They had just finished their...activities, the condom tossed in the bathroom garbage and Taeil de-virginated. Their afterglow left them both giggly and happy, but they were both exhausted from all of their physical efforts. 

"Same," Taeil mumbled back tiredly. 

They both slipped underneath the covers of their still warm bedding, Taeil curling into a little ball and Johnny wrapping himself around his tiny boyfriend. They'd put their underwear back on, just in case the other boys came back, but the feel of the rest of their bare skin felt good. It was more comforting than sexy, but that was just what they needed. 

"Was it a good first time?" Johnny mumbled into Taeil's hair. Johnny had tried to be casual, but Taeil heard the nervous inflection in his voice. 

"It was perfect, Johnny." 

Johnny hummed lightly and traced Taeil's collarbones with his long fingers. 

Taeil laughed suddenly. "I shouldn't even bother to ask if I was any good, I know I was-"

"Shut up," Johnny responded. "You were perfect too. So perfect." Johnny paused for a moment, then started quieter. "I wish that was my first time, just now. With you."

"Really?" Taeil responded with genuine surprise, and he could feel his nod. 

"I know that the whole concept of virginity is a little stupid but I wish it had been you, you know. You're just so lovely, and I love you, and...it would've been different."

"You really shouldn't feel so guilty about it. It was stupid of me to get so angry about it that truth or dare weeks ago. You can forget all about it now." 

"Are you sure?"

Taeil hummed and nodded. "One hundred percent. Now, let me sleep." 

"Okay. Good night baby." 

"It's not really night time though..."

"Aren't you the one who wanted to sleep?" Johnny teased. 

"Fine then," Taeil responded with a chuckle and an eye roll. "Good night, love." 

Johnny felt his heart swell as the nickname rolled off Taeil lips. He looked down at the boy he loved so much, curled up in his arms, his beautiful eyes shut in such a peaceful expression. All at once, Johnny was filled with so much gratitude. It wasn't every person who got someone so wonderful to love him so much, and Taeil was perfect in his eyes. Young love was dangerous and hard, but Johnny knew it was worth it. 

God, was he whipped. 


	23. Boys In Love

Johnny and Taeil awoke the next morning to smirks and giggles from the other campers who shared their cabin. 

"I'm too tired for this," Johnny groaned as Jaehyun looked at him and giggled. Taeil put a pillow over his head as Johnny tried to surreptitiously slip back on his clothes under the covers. 

"I really didn't think you guys would be next," Taeyong teased. 

"To fuck?" Johnny asked, and Taeyong nodded. 

"Then who would it be?" Taeil groaned from under the pillow; the afternoon with Johnny had been great, but he really didn't want to get questioned about his first time. 

"We are the oldest," Johnny added. 

"I dunno...it's that Taeil seems so..." Taeyong started. 

"Prudish," Ten finished. Taeil immediately chucked the pillow at them. 

"You know, for being the four oldest, you guys really are acting childish," Doyoung teased. 

"I'm hungry," Sicheng mumbled, slipping on flip flops in his pjs. 

"Let's get to the dining hall then," Yuta said, wrapping his arm around Sicheng's shoulders. What Sicheng wanted, Yuta made sure he got, so they all got up and headed out to meet the others. 

As the couple Kun brushed past the couple, they both politely waved hello, and he waved back. Although there was a melancholy look in his eyes, there was a smile on his lips, and Yuta and Sicheng knew things were getting better every day. Maybe he did play a big part in causing their rift, but he wasn't entirely to blame; both Yuta and Sicheng played a role in it too. They went to the others and Kun walked beside Renjun and Chenle, talking happily. Yuta and Sicheng had set up Renjun and Kun (as friends, of course) the day before since they were from the same state, and they were becoming fast friends already. 

At the dining hall, the couple ate quietly, mostly just listening to the others around them. They knew their conflict had brought everyone else down too, and they knew it might take a while for everyone to appreciate them again. But, they knew that everyone was happy that they were back together. 

But after breakfast, when Mark suggested they go to the store and then the grassy field for sports and a picnic, Sicheng and Yuta shared a look. 

"I think we're gonna dip," Yuta said. 

"You cannot have the cabin," Ten responded insistently. 

"That's fine. We were thinking of going to the ledge instead anyways." Sicheng answered. 

And that's where they went, interlacing their fingers and walking out of the dining hall as soon as they finished eating. They shared a smile, and Sicheng briefly rested his head on Yuta's shoulder as they walked across the bridge. 

"We need to make up for lost time," Yuta said with a smile. Sicheng nodded and grinned back, and they began to walk up the rocks to the spot on the ledge. 

The pair simoultaneously sighed contentedly when they'd reached the top of the ledge. The view was breathtaking: the sun behind them shone down on the trees, light filtering through their hair, growing warmer but with a refreshing breeze keeping things just right. The sounds of ruffling leaves and birds chirping blocked out the noises of the other people at camp, and at that moment, Sicheng and Yuta felt like they were the only people in the whole world. 

"It's beautiful," Sicheng mumbled. 

"Just like you," Yuta answered. Sicheng looked up and Yuta was smiling back at him. He sighed gently, running his fingers through Sicheng's hair. "I really did miss you." 

"I missed you too." Sicheng looked down shamefully. "I'm sorry that-"

"No, let's not do this," Yuta interrupted, cupping his chin. "We've spent enough time apologizing. Let's use the rest of the time we have to relax with each other." 

Sicheng hummed back. "Y-yeah, you're right, Yuta." 

Yuta quickly pecked his lips, the two sharing a loving smile before looking back out at the gorgeous view. 

"You mean the world to me, Sicheng. You're my everything." Yuta put his hand over Sicheng's, still looking out at the forest before them. 

"Me too, Yuta. I really love you." 

"What do you like about me?" Yuta asked, partially teasing, partially out of genuine curiosity. 

"Gosh, there's so many things," Sicheng admitted with a giggle. "Appearance or personality?" 

"Both," Yuta answered with a grin. 

"I'll start with your looks because I wanna save the best for last. Um...well, this is really superficial but you're super strong looking, you know? Your arms are buff and stuff." Yuta immediately smiled at Sicheng with pride. "I really like your arms," Sicheng repeated, squeezing his bicep before continuing. "You're really tall, and you give the best hugs, and you smell like guy smell in a good way. I like...I like you best when you smile. Your smile is really pretty, and it makes your whole face look good, and the best kisses you give are when you smile into them." 

Yuta watched Sicheng affectionately as Sicheng told him, and Yuta thought his heart would burst with love. 

"Your personality....I mean, you're really funny. You always make everyone laugh, on accident and on purpose. You don't take yourself too seriously and I really like that. You have the biggest heart in the world, and you have a lot of...empathy, that's the word. You're not afraid to feel things too. That's something I'm sort of working on and you're a good example for me. You are forgiving and you understand people really well. I think, my favorite thing about you though, is that you protect the people you love. Especially me." Sicheng emphasized his last words with a shy chuckle. "You are two years older than me, so it only makes sense, but like, you always just want me to be happy, and I like it a lot. You make sure I'm alright." 

"That's because I love you, baby," Yuta answered, tilting Sicheng's chin upward. "More than anything else." 

"And I love you too. I think what I just said made that clear, though." 

"It's...really nice to hear those things," Yuta spoke softly. "I do feel loved." 

"Do me!" Sicheng cheered. 

Yuta chuckled. "Okay baby. Hm, I guess I'll do your looks first. I love the way your hair makes a little curl when it goes over your forehead, I love the color of your eyes, your button nose, your pretty pink lips....I could go on all day, Sicheng. I love your ears; you blush so adorably when I kiss them, I love your waist and hips, I love that even though you're so lanky and tall, you feel so small in my arms." Yuta sighed lovingly. "I love the taste of your mouth when I kiss you, the smell of your shampoo, when you snuggle into me and when you reach for my hand, but you're embarrassed about it so you turn your head away." 

Sicheng shyly turned his head from all the praise, and Yuta carressed his cheek. "I love how just sweet you are. There's not a mean bone in your body, I swear. I love how you give everyone a chance, you're not judgemental at all. I love how you always laugh so freely, and how you're almost always just naturally happy. I think...I think what I love most of all about you is your innocence. I mean-- I'm not saying you're naive. I'm saying that you look at every experience as fresh, and you're always excited to try new things, and being around you makes life just so exciting. It really is a privilege to love you." 

Sicheng buried his head in the crook of Yuta's neck. "You really think that about me?"

"Mmh-hmm," Yuta answered brightly, kissing the back of Sicheng's head. "You should know how head over heels I am, by this point." 

Sicheng wrapped his arms around Yuta tightly. "I don't wanna go home," he groaned into Yuta's chest. 

"We've got a week left baby." 

"Not really, the last day barely counts." 

Yuta pulled Sicheng onto his lap. "I don't wanna go either. Then I won't get to see you for so long." 

"Yeah...plus my parents..." Sicheng responded. 

Yuta sighed. "They don't like me, right?"

"For no reason. They don't even know you....I mean, it's not you. They say I'm too young to date, but I don't even really think it's that. I think they don't like that they can't control our relationship, since you don't live nearby, and we see each other at camp." 

"What do you mean?" Yuta asked, playing with Sicheng's t-shirt. 

"I dunno....they just want to always know everything I'm doing, you know, they don't give me any privacy. They don't know everything we do together since it's at camp and online and stuff, and they just...don't like it."

Yuta hummed and nodded. "Maybe if I proved that I was good to you they'd like me." 

"I really hope so," Sicheng said sadly. 

"We don't have time to be sad, baby," Yuta spoke gently. Sicheng smiled a little and Yuta held onto his hips to keep him steady. "We can think about that stuff later." 

Sicheng hummed and pressed himself closer to Yuta with a gentle sigh. Yuta grinned, he knew what Sicheng wanted, so he leaned in and gave Sicheng a deep kiss. Sicheng returned the kiss with just as much intensity, letting Yuta take control right away, just how he liked. 

Yuta sighed against Sicheng's mouth. Since their relationship had been rocky for most of camp this summer, they hadn't really gotten a chance to do anything a little less...innocent than what they usually did. The most physical contact they'd had were brief kisses and cuddling at night, but that was nothing but pure. Yuta knew Sicheng wasn't ready for real stuff, but he had been looking forward to a little make out time (especially since Kun had been there during their primary make out opportunity, the teen movie night). 

Surprisingly, Sicheng was the one who pressed his tongue against Yuta's lips, begging for entrance. Yuta gave it, and figured Sicheng wanted this just as bad as he did. Sicheng's hands gripped Yuta's broad shoulders twice and he was as close to Yuta as he could possibly be in this position, straddled across his lap. In a act of boldness Yuta slipped his hands into the back pockets of Sicheng's jeans, but Sicheng just responded by pressing harder against Yuta's lips, so he figured he enjoyed it. 

Yuta decided this was getting a little uncomfortable; he wanted more room so he lowered both himself and Sicheng until they were laying down on the rocks. It was a bit uncomfortable, when how could they mind when they were two teenagers with a little bit of privacy and a lot of time on their hands? 

Yuta flipped them over so he was on top and began to trail kisses along Sicheng's neck, Sicheng releasing little noises beneath him. Yuta gave him a smile, remembering that Sicheng had enjoyed hickies last year, and began to leave marks. Part of him loved the way they clearly made Sicheng feel, but a little part of him maybe wanted to show Kun one last time just who Sicheng's real love was.

Yuta had just finished his handiwork on Sicheng's neck and was reaching up to kiss him again when suddenly, the lunch bell sounded, interrupting Yuta and Sicheng's alone time. 

"Have we really been here that long?" Sicheng mumbled with a giggle, his breaths hot on Yuta's lips. 

"Guess so," Yuta responded, his voice a pitch or two lower than before. "Are you ready?"

Sicheng nodded, getting off of Yuta and helping him up. They looked at each other briefly, smiles on their lips, before taking each other's hands and starting to walk down the ledge. 

"I wish it could always be like this. Just you and me forever," Sicheng said, rubbing his head against Yuta's shoulder. 

They made it down to the bridge and began to walk across, Yuta leaving a kiss on Sicheng's head. "One day, it will be baby. I promise." 


	24. Family

The next day underneath the hot sun after lunch, the boys all decided to cool off at the pool. Changing into swimsuits and running back to the cool water, they sighed contentedly as the cool water lapped against their hot limbs and soothed their almost sunburnt skin. 

Johnny and Taeil had fallen asleep within minutes on one lounge chair, Mark and Donghyuck giggling over them, running back and forth from the store. Ten and Taeyong were sure that they were planning some sort of prank, but Mark and Donghyuck were their babies; they would be forgived easily. Jaehyun had forced Doyoung to come into the water and play some games with Yukhei, Jungwoo, Jeno, Jaemin, Renjun, and Kun. Although a lot of people were still awkward with Kun, Ten was glad to see him becoming friends with the rest. He knew how much love could make you do shitty things sometimes. 

Doyoung and Jungwoo quickly escaped the game to be referees/cheerleaders, and Yuta and Sicheng sat to their right, kicking their legs in the water and talking hand in hand. 

Ten observed all this as he and Taeyong sat side by side in lounge chairs, simply watching what was going on. Everything was perfect; he was a little drowsy, relaxed, and warm. But suddenly, Taeyong turned to him in a panic, and Ten furrowed his brows. 

"Do Chenle and Jisung have sunscreen on?" Taeyong asked, his voice laced with worry. 

Ten turned back to Taeyong with wide eyes. "Shit," he responded quietly, digging through his bag to grab the sunscreen. The two leapt up and walked to where Jisung and Chenle were playing in the pool, at the deep end. 

"Sungie, Lele, can you guys get out of the pool for a sec?"

"Why?" Chenle groaned back. 

"You need to get on sunscreen," Ten explained. 

"But it's all sticky and it smells weird!" Jisung complained. 

"Anyways, the sun can't get us when we're in the water," Chenle added. 

"Nope, you're not getting out of this," Taeyong responded. "Come on, come here." 

Chenle and Jisung sighed but lifted themselves out of the pool, standing on the edge of the pool, dripping water all over the ground. 

"Here." Taeyong tossed them each a towel so they could dry off before Ten put a dollop of sunscreen in each of their hands. They began to put the sunscreen on, getting Taeyong to do their backs as Ten looked them over to make sure they were all covered. 

Just as they were about to get back into the water, Ten stopped them. "Guys! Your faces!" 

"Oh!" Chenle responded, getting a drop more to cover his face. Jisung followed, and they were finally done. 

"Thanks mom, thanks dad," Jisung spoke, and with a giggle the two middle schoolers leapt back into the water. 

Taeyong breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank god. If they'd gotten burnt, I wouldn't know what to do." 

"Do they sell aloe vera at the store?" Ten asked as the couple walked back to their lounge chairs. Taeyong sat down, but Ten sat in between Taeyong's legs instead of getting into his own chair. Taeyong didn't mind, in fact he was grateful, wrapping his arms around Ten's sunscreen sticky waist. 

"I don't think so," Taeyong answered, resting his head on Ten's shoulder. 

They sighed again, contentedly so. Their eyes drifted along all their friends who had become like family, then up to the lifeguards, who were half asleep at that point. Ten and Taeyong then looked to Chenle and Jisung to make sure they were alright. They couldn't blame those lifeguards, the sun was really hot and bright that day, but they had to make sure their sort of kids were safe. 

"This year has been...so different," Taeyong commented in a dreamy voice. 

"Mmh," Ten responded as a cool breeze brushed through their hair. The sounds of their friends in the pool faded into the distance and for a moment, Ten felt like he was all watching this from afar, as if it was a movie. "It has been different." 

They knew exactly why it was so different as their eyes went back to Jisung and Chenle, playing in the water. To anyone's eyes they would look so deeply innocent, even acting a little young for their age. 

"I grew up too quickly," Taeyong said. "At their age I'd already moved on from playing in the pool and thinking cheek kisses were a big deal." 

"Me too," Ten answered.

"Maybe....maybe we're so protective of them because we want to give them the childhoods we lost...or not, I'm being fucking cheesy and stupid," Taeyong finished with a sad chuckle. 

"No," Ten answered. "I think you're right. We did grow up to fast." 

"We've grown up even more this summer," Taeyong commented. "But in a different way, you know?"

"We've...matured, that's the word," Ten responded. 

"Uh-huh....but I swear, I'm still just as passionate about you as the day we met." 

"Of course," Ten answered with a laugh. "We're talking like we're an old married couple with grandkids." 

Taeyong laughed back. "I do feel a lot older though." 

Ten hummed and grinned. "Me too. You know, I love you even more than last summer. I didn't think that was even possible." 

"Me either." 

Taeyong still wrapped his body around Ten's but they reached for each other's hands, interlacing their fingers. Ten sighed and leaned his back against Taeyong's chest, his head on his shoulder. Ten looked up at his beautiful, loving boyfriend with a beaming smile. And when Taeyong leaned down to kiss him, he didn't think he'd ever been happier. 

Taeyong pulled away with one of his soft and gentle smiles and Ten felt his heart beat; even after everything he and Taeyong still got butterflies for each other. 

"You know, babe...I can- I can imagine us living like this in the future," Taeyong said, gesturing his head to Chenle and Jisung.

"Like..." Ten trailed off, looking for an explanation. 

"Married, couple of kids." 

Ten swallowed thickly; he always thought he was too wild and adventurous for such a normal and boring thing. But maybe it would be different, with Taeyong things that seemed every day had already become exciting. And anyways, he was happier this year at camp than he'd ever been in his life. Maybe he always just thought he was too rowdy, too much of a bad kid to get a normal life later on. 

"I never though I'd say this, but..." Ten started, very shyly, looking down at the lounge chair beneath him, "Maybe that would be nice." 

Taeyong kissed Ten's neck sweetly. "As long as I'm with you, I think anything would be alright." 

~~~~~~~~~~

"Ah!" Jisung screamed when Chenle grabbed his leg. The two of them bobbed above the water and started to laugh loudly, their hair and skin soaked with the chlorine water of the pool. 

Most of the others were playing a big game of water polo like usual on the deep end of the pool, but for some reason that day they hadn't felt like it. They both sort of just wanted to hang out, just the two of them, so they went to the deep end of the pool to play marco polo (although they'd been interrupted to get their sunscreen on). 

With the sun out bright, their friends around them, and Ten and Taeyong's watchful eyes making sure they were alright, Jisung felt truly safe and happy. Even though he really was so much younger than the rest, he rarely felt out of place. Even though he was young he knew how big of a deal it was, and he was grateful. 

But, he was even more lucky to have Chenle by his side. Even though Chenle was a year older he was much closer to Jisung in age, so when Jisung needed to do more kiddy things or just feel more comfortable, Chenle was always there. Chenle had become his best friend, even including his friends from school. 

The two of them were inseperable: from sitting next to each other for meals, to playing together in the day, to whispering at night once the lights were off, even if they were tired. Renjun always yelled at them for disturbing his rest, but it didn't matter much when they could talk all night. 

Jisung had really thought they didn't have any secrets until they played truth or dare. It was more than ten days ago at that point when Chenle admitted he had a crush on someone, but refused to say who. Jisung didn't want to admit it, but he was upset that he didn't get to know who Chenle liked. 

Normally, he didn't care all that much about love and crushes and all that; he hadn't liked anyone since the fourth grade, and he thought that was just a silly elementary school crush. But Chenle's confession weighed on his mind; he thought about it all the time. Even when his friends at school had crushes he really didn't care who it was or what happened between them, but Chenle's just felt more important. His curiosity ate away at him, and it was too weird. He had to find out or else he thought he'd go crazy. 

Jisung knew camp was ending soon so once Chenle caught him in Marco Polo, he tugged Chenle over to the back corner of the pool. 

"What are you doing?" Chenle asked with a high pitched, dolphin like laugh. Jisung didn't know why, but he felt nervous about asking Chenle about his secret. Even so, hearing Chenle's dolphin laugh made him feel a bit better. 

"I-I have to ask you something," Jisung responded. Chenle nodded, falling serious, and Jisung hummed. "Do you remember when we played truth or dare? Not the last game, but the game before?" Chenle nodded again but his eyes began to dart around and his cheeks turned pink. Chenle, for all his good qualities could be a bit oblivious, so Jisung was surprised that Chenle had some idea what Jisung was about to ask him. "Um, I'm really curious about your truth answer. Can you tell me who you like now that we're in private?" 

Chenle had now turned bright red and had started to look anywhere but at Jisung, and Jisung was shocked. Was this really such a big deal to Chenle? Who could it possibly be? "Uh, sorry, I can't," Chenle answered bluntly, his face looking weird when it was sad (since Jisung wasn't used to it). 

"Come on! We're best friends, right? We tell each other everything!" Jisung responded in a quiet voice. Now his feelings were really hurt, why couldn't he know? Did Chenle not want to be his best friend anymore. 

"Um, fine, um, I'll tell you, I guess," Chenle said, and Jisung breathed a sigh of relief. "It's....um..." Chenle looked away from the pool water and up at all the other campers, his eyes searching around. "Oh!" He finally spoke. "It's, uh, Kun." 

"What?" Jisung cried. He was suddenly filled with a weird anger he'd never felt before; Chenle couldn't like Kun!

"Uh, yeah. That's definitely who I like, not someone else," Chenle responded. 

"B-but he's so much older! And you've barely talked to him!" Jisung said, the weird anger now coupled with sadness. He really didn't think Chenle's answer would've affected him so much, and he still couldn't even figure out why. 

"He's nice, okay?" Chenle responded, and Jisung sighed. He felt bad; if he was a good friend he wouldn't have reacted so negatively. But he couldn't stop feeling angry or sad about it, even though he didn't think he had a reason. 

"Fine," Jisung responded, crossing his arms. Chenle looked genuinely upset, and Jisung just felt even worse. Chenle still couldn't look him in the eye. 

"Do...do you wanna play more marco polo?" Chenle asked shyly. 

"Yeah," Jisung answered; it was probably a good idea if they forgot about this entire conversation. 

"You be marco!" Chenle said, diving into the water, the happy tone of his voice quickly returning. But try as he might, Jisung couldn't get himself to feel the same way. 


	25. The Hike

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I hope you're all enjoying the story thus far. Sadly, we're almost at the end! I originally planned 28 chapters and don't think I'll be adding any more. It's weird to think this journey will be ending so soon...anyways, to all of you who celebrate it, merry late christmas! All of my kudos-ers and commenters are really the best gift I could receive. Now, let's get on with it!

That morning at breakfast, Sehun approached the table where the eighteen boys always seemed to eat breakfast. 

"The hike is today," he simply explained. "You guys should come." 

"No. Fucking. Way," Doyoung responded, remembering last year when he almost hyperventilated on the walk. Doyoung wasn't exactly the most fit person at camp, so the idea of going back to that torture seemed like the worst thing he could possibly do. 

"Oh come on, babe," Jaehyun said. "It'll be romantic." 

"No, it will not," Doyoung rebutted. 

"Some of us will probably show up," Yukhei interrupted, turning to Sehun. 

"Cool," the counselor responded. "Come to the bridge in an hour. See ya, guys." 

Doyoung groaned and rolled his eyes. 

"No way are we going," Doyoung mumbled to his boyfriend. 

That, in fact, was a lie. An hour later at the bridge, Yuta, Sicheng, Kun, Jungwoo, Yukhei, Renjun, Jeno, Jaemin, Chenle, and Jisung were waiting. Jaehyun was dragging along a disgruntled Doyoung behind him. 

"You know, I'm only going because I love you and want to spend time to you," Doyoung muttered to Jaehyun, turning to give him a pointed stare. "But you owe me." Jaehyun just giggled and ruffled Doyoung's hair, much to his boyfriend's chagrin. 

"Where are the others?" Chenle asked as they waited for their counselor. Even though Chenle seemed just curious, Doyoung knew he and Jisung were secretly missing Taeyong and Ten. 

"Taeyong and Ten wanted to have alone time in the cabin," Yuta explained. 

"But Johnny and Taeil wanted to nap in the cabin, so their alone time was thwarted," Sicheng finished. 

"And Mark and Donghyuck wanted to have alone time too," Jaehyun added. All of the teenagers grimaced and Yuta even shuddered. 

"The very idea of that is...disgusting," Jeno said. 

"They're probably just cuddling! Not...doing the make out thing," Jisung said. 

"Oh sweetie, I don't know about that," Kun answered. 

"We can only hope Jisung is right," Doyoung added, and the two of them shared a smile. 

Just then, Sehun and Yixing, the five to sevens counselor, approached them. 

"Are you guys ready?" Sehun asked. 

"Yeah!" Chenle answered cheerfully. 

"No," Doyoung mumbled pathetically. 

"Alright then, let's go."

Yukhei smiled and reached for Jungwoo's hand as soon as they began to walk across the bridge and onto the path. Yukhei loved sports, especially hiking, partially just to where exercise clothes that showed off his muscles: he had on a black tank top and gym shorts. He could see Jungwoo shyly looking at his biceps every so often, and Yukhei couldn't stop from grinning. 

But the main reason Yukhei loved hikes was he loved working out his body. Being under the hot sun and working up a sweat was one of his greatest joys in life, and to be able to do it with the nice sounds and smells and views of nature, plus with Jungwoo by his side, was his version of heaven. 

Yukhei leaned down to press a kiss to Jungwoo's head, pulling away with a big grin. But as Jungwoo smiled up at him, Yukhei noticed something was off. He knew that Jungwoo was by no means a jock and was definitely more of the academic type, but he didn't realize Jungwoo wasn't as strong as him when he insisted they go for the hike. They'd made it up one of the hills, but Yukhei saw that steep inclines followed for the rest of the road. 

At this point, Yukhei stopped. Jungwoo was panting heavily, and his palms felt very sweaty in Yukhei's hand. 

"C-can we take a break?" Jungwoo asked. 

"Of course, babe," Yukhei responded with concern, resting his hands on Jungwoo's slight shoulders. "Are you alright?"

Jungwoo nodded. "Just...tired." He laughed breathlessly. "I'm so weak." 

"I didn't know it would be so hard..." Yukhei spoke guiltily. 

"But it makes you happy," Jungwoo softly responded. Yukhei slowly bloomed into a smile, then kissed Jungwoo's cheek. 

"How far are we?" Yukhei asked Sehun. 

"Like...halfway," Sehun answered. By the way he was panting, Yukhei could tell he wasn't so fit either. 

Figuring that it wasn't too far more, Yukhei made a quick decision. He bent down onto his knees, crouching over and beckoning Jungwoo closer. 

"Wh-what are you doing?" He asked. 

"Climb on my back," Yukhei responded. Jungwoo still looked confused but he did as Yukhei asked, wrapping his arms around Yukhei's neck. 

With a small groan Yukhei stood up, carrying Jungwoo around piggy back style. Jungwoo began to giggle with delight and buried his face in Yukhei's shoulder. 

"Thank you!" He said gleefully. 

"Anything for you, babe," Yukhei answered, and Jungwoo felt like he was in a teen movie for just a moment. 

Meanwhile, Doyoung was panting heavily, rolling his eyes at his own weakness. Two minutes into the hike he'd realized this wasn't a good idea, and cursed his love for Jaehyun for clouding his hatred of all exercise. 

Yukhei, with Jungwoo on his back, bounded past and immediately he and Jaehyun began to laugh. 

"Show off!" Jaehyun called to Yukhei jokingly, squeezing Doyoung's sweaty hand. 

"Why don't...you do that?" Doyoung complained between pants. 

"Sorry baby, I'm too weak. I'm no football star," Jaehyun answered. Doyoung briefly rested his head on Jaehyun's shoulder, and they began to walk on. 

A few minutes later Doyoung stopped, tugging Jaehyun back with him. 

"I need...a break," he panted out. Jaehyun turned to him and Doyoung could see concern growing in his eyes. 

"Are you okay?" Jaehyun asked. 

"Didn't I tell you?" Doyoung responded. "I almost died on the last hike." 

"Come on and catch up now; I can't leave you behind!" Sehun yelled to the two boys. "The lunch spot is really close." 

"Lunch?" Doyoung said, perking up immediately. Jaehyun chuckled and sighed with relief; if Doyoung had a head for food he was alright for sure. 

"Yeah. Come on, let's catch up." 

Doyoung groaned loudly but followed after his boyfriend begrudgingly. Jaehyun held his hand tightly, helping him over big rocks and little streams, and almost forgot about the fact that Jungwoo was getting a free ride up all the hills and rocks and rough and tumble naturey area to the beautiful lake over looking the perfect view. 

"One last hill," Jaehyun mumbled as Doyoung trudged his way over. Finally, he breathed a sigh of relief: they were there. He could see the lake, the cliffs around it, the view of the forest laying behind them. It was beautiful, and Doyoung remembered that maybe this whole journey was worth it. 

"Come get lunch!" Sehun called to the campers. Doyoung watched as all the boys rushed for their sandwiches; despite chef Kyungsoo's grumpiness he did make the best sandwiches ever. 

Jaehyun grinned and held Doyoung's hand, starting to run over to Sehun. Immediately, Doyoung tugged him back. 

"After that hike, there is no way we are running." 

~~~~~~~~~~

After eating their food, Yukhei and Jungwoo decided it would be a fun idea to go into one of the smaller pools of water beside the big lake in the middle. Yukhei had wanted to jump off one of the ledges but Jungwoo had refused to let him do such a thing, climbing down the mountain face and into the pool. 

Yukhei sighed relaxedly as he peeled off his shirt and slid into the water, the coolness of it beating off the heat of the sun above. Jungwoo followed next to him, shyly taking off his t-shirt too. 

"Aren't you glad you didn't jump off?" Jungwoo spoke. "The water's really shallow. You would've hurt yourself." 

"Yeah. I am glad," Yukhei responded with a smile. They sat on the little ledge in the small pool, looking out over their friends playing in the lake and the fantastic view. Yukhei lifted Jungwoo's legs over his own thighs with his large hands, and all seemed to be right with the world. 

"I'm so glad you and I started dating," Jungwoo said, even quieter than his normal speaking voice. He looked up at Yukhei with a small smile, and Yukhei grinned back down at him. 

"Me too," Yukhei answered. "We're really different people, but I think that's what makes us good together. 

"I agree," Jungwoo answered softly. "I'll really miss you when I go home." 

"Me too. There's no one like you at home." 

Jungwoo buried his face in Yukhei's shoulder to hide his smile and blush. "Don't be so cheesy." 

"Why not? You're my boyfriend," he answered. "How long has it been?"

"Since what?" Jungwoo asked, lifting his head. 

"Since we started dating."

"Hmm....wait, so, um....exactly two weeks, I think," Jungwoo answered. 

"It feels way longer. Like, I've dated other people before, and even after a few months I haven't felt like this with them." 

Jungwoo chuckled. "Well, you're my first relationship, so..."

"Wait, seriously?"

"Yeah. You were my first kiss, too." 

"At truth or dare?" Yukhei clarified, and Jungwoo nodded. "That's so crazy... I hope I'm good enough to you." 

"You're perfect," Jungwoo answered, his voice barely above a whisper. 

"I still can't believe it's only been two weeks." 

"Maybe it's because we're together all the time...like, I dunno for sure, but with other relationships you see each other at school or on dates and stuff, but you go home at the end of the day and don't see each other all the time. I don't think you and I have been apart for more than an hour or two since we started camp." 

Yukhei grinned. "That's probably right. You're really smart, you know." 

"I dunno..." Jungwoo shyly mumbled, and Yukhei smiled back down at him. 

"Do you wanna know something?" Yukhei asked, and Jungwoo nodded. Yukhei gave him a once over before speaking. "I love you, Jungwoo." 

Jungwoo gasped and looked surprised before his expression turned into a smile. "I love you too, Yukhei!" 

They pulled each other in for a tight hug, Yukhei sighing contentedly into Jungwoo's dark hair. Maybe this relationship really was going to last a while. 

At the big lake, Jaehyun and Doyoung had played in the water for a little while before growing tired; they couldn't keep up with Chenle and Jisung's antics like Ten and Taeyong could. So after a while they got partway out of the cool lake water, sitting on the ledge with their legs dipped in. 

"Do you remember last year?" Jaehyun asked. 

"Of course," Doyoung responded with a laugh. "Sicheng fell asleep on the rocks and everyone got in the freezing water." 

Jaehyun giggled and smiled sneakily. "What is it?" Doyoung asked. 

"You know, this is the spot where I first admitted I liked you." 

"To who?" 

"Johnny, Taeil, Yuta, etcetera, etcetera," Jaehyun responded. "Everyone but you and Ten, since you two snuck off." 

Doyoung looked at his boyfriend in surprise. "That's crazy." 

"Why?"

"This is the spot where I admitted to Ten that I liked you. I felt so weird; you know I'd never really liked anyone before. I felt like a deer in the headlights."

Jaehyun laughed again, and Doyoung pondered for a moment on just how much he loved Jaehyun's cheery disposition. "You know, I liked people before. But not like you. It's never been like you," he answered, the two of them reaching to interlace their fingers. 

"How long ago was all that? Like a year ago?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Jaehyun answered, turning to Doyoung. "Isn't it crazy how far we've come?"

Doyoung turned back to him. "It is crazy. I never thought I'd be in love at fifteen." 

"And it's all because of me," Jaehyun jokingly responded. 

"Don't kid yourself, babe," Doyoung answered. But Doyoung knew that Jaehyun was totally right. 


	26. Too Many Bracelets

The next day after the hike, the boys who actually went decided they were all much too tired for more physical activity. So, they made their decision to spend one of the last days at camp at the art shack.

After breakfast and a quick change into more hot weather clothes, the boys of cabin E1 skipped down the pathway to the shack with all of the bracelets, pottery, and tie dye materials.

Donghyuck ran to catch up with Mark and gripped his hand, Mark turning to Donghyuck with brief surprise. Mark gave him a grin and Donghyuck smiled back, squeezing Mark’s hand. Donghyuck loved Mark’s hands; even though they got clammy really easily he loved that they were still slightly squishy, the last remnants of Mark’s baby fat, comforting and sweet all at once.

“We should make bracelets for other people,” Mark said as Donghyuck rested his head on Mark’s shoulder.

“Why?” Donghyuck whined in his loud voice. The art shack building was now in plain sight, and Chenle and Jisung ran to go inside.

Instead of answering, Mark simply held up his wrist, decorated with seven different bracelets in a variety of colors. Donghyuck looked down at his own wrist, which also had many bracelets. The wrists occupied by each other’s hands also had many too.

“Maybe you’re right,” Donghyuck spoke with a sigh.

“We should make them for our friends.”

“Don’t they have a bazillion too? Everyone’s been way too into couple bracelets this year.”

“Kun and Renjun then,” Mark answered as they finally reached the tables, sitting down at one of the picnic benches. Jeno and Jaemin, who had been following right behind, sat down across from them.

“Maybe we could do something else?” Donghyuck suggested.

Mark sighed. “It would be fun to tie dye, but I don’t wanna mess up my shirt.” He tugged at the tie dye shirt Donghyuck had made for him last year. Donghyuck held back a sentimental grin, it always made him feel fuzzy and warm to see how Mark cherished all the things Donghyuck gave him.

“What are you guys talking about?” Jaemin asked as Jeno rested his head on his shoulder.

“What to do here,” Donghyuck answered.

“Bracelets?” Jeno suggested.

“That seems like our best bet, even though we all have a million. We’ll give it to the single people,” Mark said.

“Kun, Renjun, Chenle, and Jisung,” Jeno mumbled.

“Not Chenle and Jisung,” Donghyuck interrupted. “They’re practically dating, plus they’ve got Taeyong and Ten too.”

“True, true,” Jaemin muttered.

“Jeno, can you go get the string?” Donghyuck whined. Jeno groaned but stood up, looking at Mark. Mark was about to stand up when Donghyuck wrapped his hands around Mark’s waist, pulling him onto his lap. Mark grinned sheepishly and shook his head. Jeno groaned and rolled his eyes, going into the shack. Moments later, he returned with multi colored string for the four boys to use.

They each started to work, Jeno and Jaemin making for Renjun and Mark and Donghyuck making for Kun. After a few minutes, Jaemin looked up at Mark and Donghyuck.

“You know, we never thanked you guys for helping us get together. So, um, thank you, now.”

“It’s about time,” Donghyuck answered. “I’d been scheming since last year.”

“How did you guys know what we were doing?” Mark cried in surprise.

“On the hike we figured out how much you guys had to do with us getting together,” Jaemin answered.

“I never would’ve said anything without all the encouragement. I’m kind of a wimp, to be honest. I just thought Jaemin was too good for me.”

“I thought you were too good for me!” Jaemin replied.

“No Minnie you’re an angel. You’re perfect. I’m way out of your league,” Jeno whined. Mark and Donghyuck shared a look and rolled their eyes, and Donghyuck passive aggressively rolled his eyes.

“Hey!” Jeno whined after noticing the other couple’s judgmental gaze. “And I was just saying how much better you were this year, Hyuck.”

“No way, I’m still an asshole,” Donghyuck answered with a chuckle as Mark snuggled on his lap, continuing to make the bracelets.

“No, really, you are better,” Jaemin responded.

“I think Chenle’s worse than you now,” Jeno added.

“I don’t know about that,” Donghyuck said. In the distance, Chenle let out a loud scream.

Jeno looked up at Donghyuck. “My point stands.”

“Aw,” Donghyuck started, resting his head on Mark’s shoulder. “You guys are sweet...ish.”

“Same to you, my friend,” Jaemin responded, and they all shared a giggle.

After that they fell silent, snuggling into their boyfriends on the bench and weaving these bracelets together. Under the hot sun they created a sizable pile, and finally they decided they were finished.

Jeno stood up slowly with a groan; stretching out his limbs. The benches weren’t exactly the most comfortable place at camp.

“Let’s go give it to them,” he said in a groggy voice. The other boys hummed and follow him, grabbing their pile.

Kun and Renjun were talking on the grass when the four boys approached them.

“Um...” Jeno started awkwardly.

“We made these for you guys,” Donghyuck interrupted, and Mark handed them the bracelets. Kun and Renjun had a few, but not nearly as many as the rest of them.

“Really?” Kun asked with surprise.

“Yup,” Donghyuck answered.

“Ah... mmh... thank you,” Renjun responded, clearly not used to such sweet gestures.

“Thank you guys,” Kun said, and they all shared hugs before helping the two put on the bracelets.

“What are you guys doing?” Jeno asked.

Renjun shrugged. “Just talking.”

“Anything interesting?” Jaemin asked with a grin.

“We are not gossiping,” Kun deadpanned.

“Come on, why not?” Jaemin whined.

“What is there to gossip about? Everyone who likes someone is dating them already,” Renjun explained.

“I mean, Chenle and Jisung?” Mark suggested.

“They’re babies, it’s different,” Kun responded.

“What about who’s,” Jaemin started, his voice dropping to a whisper, “having sex?”

“Ew! God, Jaemin, you’re so gross,” Renjun yelled back.

“You guys are bor-ing!” Donghyuck complained. “Babe, wanna take a walk?”

“Hm, sure,” Mark answered. He and Donghyuck took each other’s hands and walked away from the art shack, heading into the forest behind.

At first they rested in comfortable silence. Even though it was really weird when Donghyuck was with him and not talking, Mark always felt comfortable. Donghyuck had been right when he said he and Mark were soulmates; no matter what they were doing together it always felt right.

Once the sounds of the loud campers had faded, replaced by the noise of the wind rustling through the forest trees, Donghyuck sheepishly turned to his boyfriend.

“I know we have way too many bracelets, and that we were supposed to make them only for Kun and Renjun.... but I made you one anyways,” Donghyuck said, pulling a pink and yellow bracelet out of his back pocket.

Mark grinned back at him. “I.... I also made you one.” He pulled a red and lilac bracelet out of his own back pocket.

“Great minds think alike,” Donghyuck spoke as they tied the bracelets on each other’s wrists. As soon as Donghyuck was done, Mark held up his wrist to look at it.

“It matches my shirt!”

“Exactly,” Donghyuck responded in a quieter voice, stepping in closer. Mark matched his movements, and Donghyuck wrapped his arm around Mark’s waist. Mark rested his head on Donghyuck’s shoulder and flushed softly, the wind blowing through his black hair.

“I feel like I’m in an anime,” Mark spoke with a silly giggle.

“Thanks for ruining the moment,” Donghyuck responded. Mark didn’t move but looked up at Donghyuck and pouted. “Anyways, there’s no cherry blossoms around.”

“Maybe you’re the one who ruined the moment,” Mark muttered. Donghyuck just chuckled at his boyfriend and tilted his chin up, leaning in for a kiss.

Mark hummed into it and rested his hand on Donghyuck’s shoulder, their lips pressing softly together. Even though kissing Donghyuck had always been great, it had been getting better and better as camp progressed. Now it felt amazing, especially after Donghyuck’s kissing lessons for him yesterday.

Donghyuck tilted his head and Mark followed, his free hand resting on Donghyuck’s waist. Even after all this time Mark could feel his heart pounding in his chest and butterflies in his stomach. Maybe he was fourteen and stupid and Mark knew it well, but maybe he also knew that this was what love felt like.

“Hmm, Mark,” Donghyuck mumbled lowly as he pulled away. Mark’s eyes fluttered open and he watched Donghyuck’s pretty eyelashes, button nose, supple lips. He couldn’t look away and Donghyuck stayed close, both arms wrapping around him and holding him there.

Donghyuck looked up into Mark’s chocolate brown eyes. “Can I tell you a secret?” He asked, his voice barely above a whisper, and Mark simply nodded back. “You’ve changed me, Mark. Because of you I want to be the best person I can possibly be. Because of you I know what I want to do with my life, and I know this all sounds so ridiculous because I’m just thirteen, but.... it’s really how I feel. I really love you, Mark. I’ve  loved you from the moment I saw you... I swear, but I feel like I’ve loved you my whole life, and even longer than that...”

“I-I Donghyuck, I.... I love you too. And I feel the same way, like.... we were meant to find each other.” Mark paused to chuckle. “Gosh, and we were complaining about Jeno and Jaemin earlier, but we’re even worse.”

“Yeah, aren’t we,” Donghyuck responded, giggling back. They rested their foreheads together, sharing smiles.

“But it’s true what we keep saying,” Mark spoke as Donghyuck caressed the side of his face. “That we’re soulmates.”

“I love you,” Donghyuck said with another giggle. “It feels so good to say it.”

“It does, really.”

“Then say it again.”

Mark flushed and grinned; he was never good at expressing his feelings. “I love you,” he repeated, falling into laughter again.

“Again!”

“I love you!” Mark shouted, and Donghyuck pulled him into a tight hug.

“I love you too,” Donghyuck mumbled into his skin, and Mark couldn’t imagine being happier. Secretly he’d been imagining this confession since he and Donghyuck were at school, and it had gone better than he’d even imagined. To think Donghyuck felt the same way as he did, made him feel like the happiest fourteen year old in the world.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Mark and Donghyuck have been gone a while,” Renjun suddenly commented.

“Mmh,” Kun mumbled in agreement. The four of them were still sitting in the grass and talking, Jeno’s head on Jaemin’s shoulder.

“Maybe they went back to the cabin or to get a snack or something,” Jeno suggested.

“Ooh, a snack sounds good,” Renjun spoke.

“It does,” Kun responded, standing up. “Wanna come?”

“Sure,” Renjun answered, standing up and looking at Jeno and Jaemin.

The couple shared a look. “I think we’re good here,” Jaemin answered.

“Suit yourself,” Renjun responded, and the two went to the dining hall. Jeno and Jaemin took their spots leaning on the wall of the art shack.

Suddenly, Jeno reached into his pocket and pulled out a bracelet.

“I saved this one for you,” he said, and Jaemin held out his wrist.

“Thanks Jeno,” He sweetly responded. “I made you one too.” Jeno giggled and Jaemin tied it on. Jeno watched their hands, tracing the patterns of Jaemin’s wrist and palm.

Jeno suddenly gripped Jaemin’s cheek and pulled him in for a quick kiss.

“What was that for?” Jaemin asked with a giggle.

“I dunno...” Jeno responded, still a bit shy with Jaemin even though he was his boyfriend and his best friend. “Can I tell you something?”

“Mmh-Hmm?”

“I think I love you.”

Jaemin grinned widely, sparkles in his eyes as he shyly looked between Jeno and the grass below them. “I love you too Jeno.”

“I’m nervous to go back home and start high school... but with your love and you by my side, I think I can do it,” Jeno said.

“Me too, Jeno. Me too.”


	27. Let's Dance

That evening in the dining hall, Sehun approached the eighteen boys. 

"So tonight there's the teen dance," he said. 

"Like a school dance? At camp?" Yukhei asked with a slight grimace. 

"Yeah, but it's a lot better I swear. I know what you mean; school dances are trash," Taeyong responded. Doyoung and the other ones who had been there last year looked at each other excitedly; they'd had a great time dancing together. 

"We'll be there," Jaehyun said to Sehun. Sehun nodded and left to go set up, and the boys cleared their plates. 

A few minutes later, the boys were ready to go into the special area for the dance with the other older teens. Ten had just so happened to have tube of glitter in his bag, so everyone was wearing excessive amounts of sparkles. 

Sehun arrived quickly and lead them up to the special cabin; it was already pitch black out so it looked kind of creepy, but the lights and music coming from the inside made it less weird. Peeking inside, Doyoung could see the sixteen to eighteens counselor, and one of the maintenance guys was DJing. 

The sixteen to eighteens headed inside without question, and the other eighteen boys quickly followed. The DJ was playing the clean version of 'I Love It' by Kanye West and Lil Pump, and the older boys could barely hold back their own laughter. 

Immediately the older kids moved towards the DJ, dancing on each other without a care in the world. The eighteen younger kids watched them and laughed as their counselor attempted to break them up. After a simple dirty look, the counselor gave up. 

Taeyong and Ten began to dance closer together once they noticed Chenle and Jisung leave the cabin to get some snacks. Ten looked up at Taeyong, giving him an eyebrow raise and a sly grin, and Doyoung rolled his eyes. He knew whatever happened next would not be easy on the eyes. 

Ten flipped around and grinded his ass on Taeyong's crotch, licking his lips seductively as Taeyong grabbed his hips. 

"Not again!" Jaehyun cried, turning away uncomfortable. The rest of the boys groaned and pretended Taeyong and Ten didn't exist as the couple moved from grinding to Ten twerking on him. 

"Hey!" Sehun shouted, and the other boys turned back around. The counselor gave the two boys a look and shoved them off each other. "Didn't I tell you two last year that it wasn't allowed?"

"Come on, the older boys are grinding!" Ten whined. 

"I've tried to stop them," Sehun whined back. Ten looked to Taeyong for support, but Taeyong was frozen in place. Ten followed his line of sight and immediately froze as well. Staring back at them with extremely disturbed expressions was Chenle and Jisung. 

"Just stop, alright?" Sehun groaned. 

"Y-yeah, of course," Ten answered. Taeyong and Ten shared a grimace as Sehun walked away, and they went over to their camp kids. 

"Did you guys, um, see that?" Taeyong asked the two middler schoolers awkwardly over the music. 

"Yeah," Chenle responded, and Jisung nodded while grimacing. 

"We're really sorry," Ten said. "But sons, when two people love each other very much, they get urges-"

"Mom, dad, you already gave me this speech when I walked in on you two doing sex," Jisung interrupted. 

Taeyong sighed. "That's right." The four boys looked at each other uncomfortably. 

"How about we end this conversation and pretend that never happened?" Ten suggested. 

"Yes, please," Chenle responded. They all nodded at each other, and walked off to opposite ends of the cabin to dance. 

"God, that was awkward to watch," Doyoung said to Jaehyun when Chenle, Jisung, Taeyong, and Ten walked away from each other, just as 'In My Feelings' came on. They giggled when Taeyong and Ten danced closer together, trying to see where Sehun was, and Chenle and Jisung danced extremely awkwardly. 

Jaehyun tugged Doyoung a little closer to him as they danced together with most of the rest of the boys. Doyoung looked up at Jaehyun and found him smiling back at him. 

"I thought you said you were sick of this song," Doyoung shouted to his boyfriend over the music. 

Jaehyun shrugged. "I am." 

"Then why are you smiling?"

"Because your dancing has improved!" 

Doyoung laughed loudly. "Seriously?" Jaehyun simply nodded back at him. 

"Not that your terrible dancing wasn't cute last year," Jaehyun added. 

Doyoung grinned and looked down at the ground. Jaehyun never made him feel annoying or stupid no matter what, but it was really nice for him to make his boyfriend proud and look good. 

Now he was a little shy though, controlling his movements, and Jaehyun came closer to him. 

"Don't be shy," he spoke into Doyoung's ear. Doyoung hugged him back, but as soon as they noticed Sehun's eye on them they stepped away. 

Johnny overheard Doyoung and Jaehyun's brief conversation and laughed. Unlike Doyoung, Taeil's dancing had most definitely not improved. 

Taeil noticed Johnny giggling at him and returned it with a joking glare. 

"If you wanted a sexy, good dancer boyfriend, I was not the person to ask out!" Taeil shouted over the music. 

"You are sexy! But in your Taeil-y sort of way," Johnny answered. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Taeil asked, giving his boyfriend an adorable pout. Johnny grinned and tugged Taeil closer by his wrists. 

"Just follow my lead, okay? You sing, right?" Taeil nodded back, too enthralled by Johnny's sort of dominating aura at that moment to really process what he was saying. "Follow the beat and don't be self conscious. That's it," Johnny explained. 

"Mmh," Taeil answered as Johnny let go of Taeil's wrists, but wrapped one of his huge arms around his waist for a moment. He quickly let go, returning to dancing, and after a moment of watching Taeil danced too with a shy smile. 

"See? Better already!" Johnny called over the music as it switched to "I Like It" by Cardi B. 

"Don't lie," Taeil responded, laughing loudly. 

Next to Taeil and Johnny, Yuta and Sicheng were dancing together. Both of them were decent dancers but neither of them really cared in that moment, just happy to be near each other. Last year they'd been in a fight on the day of the dance, and they'd wasted most of this year fighting too, so any moment they spent happy together felt precious. 

"My angel," Yuta said so softly that Sicheng couldn't hear it over the music, but he could read Yuta's lips. Sicheng blushed softly, unable to keep his eyes off Yuta's beaming smile. So Sicheng noticed immediately when Yuta began to frown, his eyes off in the distance. 

Sicheng followed his line of sight and his eyes landed on Kun's frame, awkwardly hanging out alone by the snack table. Yuta and Sicheng shared a look and a nod, and Sicheng knew what to do. 

"Kun!" Sicheng yelled across the dance floor. Kun immediately turned his eyes, and both Yuta and Sicheng beckoned him over. 

Kun jogged to them and Yuta and Sicheng smiled back. "Dance with us?"

"Seriously?" Kun asked, guilt still swimming in the back of his eyes. 

"Of course," Yuta responded with a bright smile. After a moment's pause the three began to dance, and it all finally seemed right with him. 

Back at the snack table, Jungwoo was picking at the snacks while Yukhei hung over him. 

"Come on and dance with me, please baby? I'm begging you," Yukhei asked. 

Jungwoo shook his head softly and Yukhei sighed. "I'm gonna embarrass you," Jungwoo answered, his voice suddenly dropping to a whisper. "The older boys think you're handsome, but then they'll think you're stupid once they see your dorky boyfriend with you." 

"Hey hey hey," Yukhei said, turning Jungwoo toward him. "I couldn't care less what anyone thinks of you. You're so precious to me, alright? Please, don't be embarrassed. I just wanna dance and have a good time with you." 

Jungwoo paused for a moment. "But-"

"Baby. This is the second to last full day of camp. Don't you wanna spend having fun with our friends? Having fun with me?" 

Jungwoo sighed; he knew Yukhei was right. "Yes, you're right. Let's go dance." 

Yukhei's expression bloomed into a smile as he tugged his camp boyfriend to the center of the dance floor. 

"I told you I was embarrassing!" Jungwoo said loudly. 

"You're not even bad! You're a good dancer!" Yukhei yelled back to him. 

After 'Rockstar' by Post Malone finished, the DJ switched to 'Perfect' Ed Sheeran. Jeno slowly smiled; he'd been wanting to slow dance with Jaemin for quite a while. 

"May I have this dance?" Jeno asked his boyfriend with a little bow. 

Jaemin giggled back and nodded, and pressed himself a little closer. The two boys left room between them but Jeno shyly put his arms around Jaemin's waist, and Jaemin rested his arms on Jeno's shoulders. 

"Have you ever slow danced before?" Jeno asked softly. 

Jaemin shook his head. "I never even went to dances in middle school. You know, bullies waiting to come after me," he responded a little too casually. "You?"

"I've been to school dances before, but not slow danced. I always wanted to, but nobody was special enough before," Jeno answered. 

Jaemin blushed and hung his head, Jeno sneaking closer to plant a kiss on Jaemin's cheek. Jaemin finally looked up at him, and they shared a brief but loving kiss. 

"I'm gonna miss you," Jeno mumbled, looking down at the floor. 

"No! We're not allowed to talk about it!" Jaemin responded firmly, kissing Jeno to distract him from those thoughts again. 

Just next to them, Mark and Donghyuck were slow dancing too. Donghyuck had originally just gently placed his hands on Mark's waist, but in a moment of surprising boldness Mark pulled Donghyuck closer so they slow danced in a hugging position. Mark rested his head on Donghyuck's shoulder, and Donghyuck hummed into his neck. 

"Remember last year?" Donghyuck said. "When I was too young for the dance but snuck in anyways?"

Mark chuckled. "Yeah, I was so awkward. I didn't know what to do with myself; I was really flustered." 

"What for?" Donghyuck asked very quietly. 

"I think...I think that was the moment I realized I probably kinda loved you," Mark admitted shyly. Donghyuck grinned and curled his fingers in Mark's black hair, the couple swaying back and forth. "It meant a lot to me when you came up and slow danced with me, after I watched everyone else dance with their boyfriends. You made me feel...special. And I'd never really felt like that before." 

Donghyuck sighed contentedly. "I fucking love you so much." 

"Me too," Mark responded, snuggling his head in Donghyuck's chest, never wanting this perfect moment to end. "Me too, Hyuck." 

On the bench by the snack table, Kun and Renjun had sat down as soon as the slow jam came on. They both sighed, watching their friends and the older kids all slow dance happily with their boyfriends. Taeil stepping on Johnny's toes, Taeyong's hands in Ten's back pockets, Yuta and Sicheng making intense eye contact, Jaehyun leading Doyoung, Jungwoo blushing as Yukhei held him close, Chenle and Jisung slow dancing but keeping about a foot of room between them. Renjun watched as Kun briefly looked up at Yuta and Sicheng before training his eyes to the ground. Renjun normally didn't care about romance at camp, especially since he didn't have feelings for anyone, but somehow in that moment he felt especially lonely. After a moment of debate, he turned to Kun. 

"Fuck it. Wanna dance?" Renjun asked. 

Kun thought for a half second before nodding and giggling. "Why the hell not?" 

The two of them got up awkwardly and laughed, moving to the dance floor. At first they made like Chenle and Jisung, swaying uncomfortably in one spot and leaving way too much room between them, but soon enough they decided it didn't matter whatsoever. Laughing at the ridiculousness of it all, they danced until it was time to go back home. 


	28. The Last Real Day

The next morning it seemed like everyone woke up in a bit of a fog. Even though the sun shined bright and they'd all gotten enough sleep, the looming weight of the last day of camp held over them like a dark rain cloud, just about to let it pour. 

The boys of E1 cabin arrived in E2 soon after the breakfast bell, carrying cups of cereal for everyone. Even though they all knew it would be better to try and make the most of their last day, it was just too sad to really do anything except mope around the cabin. They all were silent, except brief words to say 'excuse me' or 'thank you'. 

"Come on, guys," Johnny said suddenly from his bed. "If we're gonna be emo and reminise, we should be emo and reminisce together." 

Everyone agreed, and they all made a circle in the middle of the cabin floor. 

"This is like when we play truth or dare," Chenle commented. 

"Oh god," Doyoung groaned. "Don't mention that." 

"What, we had fun at truth or dare!" Yukhei cried. 

"Jaehyun had to do so many weird things with my butt," Doyoung responded. 

"You know you liked it," Ten teased. Doyoung answered him with a whack to his arm, but quickly the air fell back to sadness once again. 

"This year was extra special for me," Taeil started, and everyone watched as he smiled up at Johnny. "Johnny and I finally got together." Johnny grinned back down at his boyfriend and kissed him on the forehead. 

"It was about time," Ten commented, but the couple ignored him. 

"I mean, obviously I'll miss Taeil the most," Johnny said, rubbing the nape of Taeil's neck. "But I'm gonna miss all of you so much." 

"Don't lie Johnny; you're just gonna miss the sex," Doyoung teased. 

"I'm not just gonna miss the sex!" Johnny protested. 

"We will miss it though," Taeil mouthed to Johnny, and Johnny gave him an agreeing look back. 

"That's what skype is for, kiddos," Taeyong said to the couple with a wink. 

"Aren't we the same age as you?" Johnny answered him. 

"Can we please change the conversation?" Jeno suddenly interjected. "I do not want to hear about my grandparent's sex life." 

"Seriously, though, guys," Johnny said. "You all are my best friends. It's just not the same without you." 

Taeil leaned on Johnny's shoulder as the others cooed at Johnny's sweetness. 

"We're gonna miss everyone too," Taeyong spoke up. "Really, nobody back home cares about me like you guys do." 

"I'll miss you a lot, my darling TY," Ten teased. Taeyong looked down at him, and Ten's smile immediately softened. "But, being honest, I'm gonna miss Chenle and Jisung just as much." Taeyong pouted. "Come on, aren't you supposed to love your kids just as much as your partner?" 

"When's the wedding, you two?" Jaehyun teased. 

"Aren't you supposed to do marriage first, then kids?" Yuta added. 

"I'm literally fifteen!" Ten whined. 

Chenle and Jisung had begun to sniffle at the thought of leaving each other and their friends behind, and Taeyong immediately noticed. "Aw, come here!" 

The two middle schoolers ran over to hug their camp mom and dad tightly. 

"Don't cry," Ten said softly, and it weirded out the rest of the campers seeing him be so gentle and sweet. "Taeyong and I will call you all the time." He dried Jisung's eyes with his hands, and let Chenle and Jisung sit in between himself and Taeyong. The couple interlaced their fingers behind their kids, sharing a bright smile of what they'd created at camp together. 

"At least you guys have friends your own age back home," Sicheng spoke in his quiet, deep voice. "I'm stuck with just my parents. I really have no friends." 

"Aw baby," Yuta spoke gently, hugging his boyfriend tightly. The two of them had been even more quiet than usual that day; they knew that things would be much harder for them when they were apart because of Sicheng's overprotective parents. 

"We should do group skype sessions!" Kun suggested, and everyone loudly agreed. 

"Can you do it with eighteen people?" Jaemin asked. 

"My dad can help us set it up," Jisung added, rubbing his eyes. 

"That would be nice," Sicheng responded with a small smile. "It's just so nice having people my own age to talk to. Maybe then I'll know what's going on in the world." 

"My cutie," Yuta mumbled, kissing the shell of Sicheng's ear. 

"And we'll talk as much as we possibly can," Sicheng spoke, and Yuta nodded back at him. "I'll do whatever it takes to be with you." 

"Of course angel," Yuta responded, and Sicheng grabbed onto Yuta's muscular arm, almost for dear life. 

"We'll make sure you stay a real teenager," Donghyuck said to Sicheng. 

"This summer was the best summer of my life," Yukhei interjected, and Jungwoo nodded in agreement. "I met so many cool people! Really, all of you are the best." 

"You're all the best," Jungwoo repeated. 

"I just had so much fun, and you all are really welcoming." 

"Make me feel welcome," Jungwoo repeated. 

"And," Yukhei started, turning to Jungwoo, "I found love too." Jungwoo blushed and buried his face in the crook of Yukhei's neck, shy about how embarrassed Yukhei always made him. 

"You both are really cool," Mark admitted. 

"It was really fun to have you guys come with us and join our little group," Doyoung added. 

"It...it's just nice, you know? Because I don't really have gay friends back home," Jungwoo started. 

"Me either," Yukhei interjected. 

"S-so here, I really feel like I can just be my true self." 

"Me too," Yukhei added. "Especially because I play sports, it's a little like....I mean, people aren't mean to me about it, but at the same time, they don't wanna hear about the guys I like. So here I can just be however I want and talk about who I like." 

"Maybe they're annoyed because you never fucking shut up about Jungwoo," Renjun muttered. 

"I'm really glad you guys feel at home here," Doyoung answered. "I feel the same way here too. At home I'm just the big nerd that studies all the time and doesn't have any real friends. But... here I feel like more than that. I feel better here."

"Doyoungie! You're the fucking best, honestly. The kids at your school are dumb as fuck," Ten said. 

"I dunno...to be honest, school is doing better too. I have more friends now, and I think it's because...because I have more confidence, you know? I have cool friends that do all kinds of things and live all over, not to mention a really hot boyfriend..." Doyoung trailed off. 

Jaehyun grinned at him and kissed his cheek. "You tell your school friends about me?"

Doyoung rolled his eyes. "Duh. I have your picture as my lockscreen and every time a new friend sees it, they think you're some celebrity or model. They never believe me when I say you're my boyfriend." 

"But you're the cutest!" Jaehyun spoke insistently. Doyoung just shrugged back. 

"As I was saying...I just feel more confident because of the people I've met here, and it's made my school life a lot better too." 

Jaehyun wrapped his arms around Doyoung's shoulders. "I'm really proud of you," he mumbled in Doyoung's ear. Doyoung immediately left to go to the bathroom; he couldn't let the campers who thought he was so tough see him blushing so hard. 

"You know, I'm in the same boat as Doyoung," Mark spoke up. "In middle school I was this big loser, because I thought I was a loser. But after camp, when I went to high school, I've had such a better time. I just do better in school, make more friends, knowing that I have forever friends too." Donghyuck made a face. "And a perfect boyfriend, of course." 

"I'm proud of you too," Donghyuck said, pecking Mark's lips. Then he pecked Mark's forehead, cheeks, nose, all over his face, showering him with smooches, until Mark was giggling like a little girl. 

"Aww!" Johnny cooed. 

"Aww!" Ten followed. 

"Aww!" The rest of the campers spoke seeing Donghyuck and Mark so adorable and crazy about one another. 

"Shut up," Mark and Donghyuck whined simoultaneously, Mark burying his face in the crook of Donghyuck's neck. 

"I love you," Donghyuck whispered. 

"I love you too," Mark whispered back. 

"Isn't it weird?" Jeno suddenly spoke. "Last year, Donghyuck was this crazy prankster who didn't seem to care about anything. Mark was the incredibly awkward dude who didn't have a clue. Now, they're dating and somehow making it work; they've matured a lot." 

"Well, that's true of you and your man, too," Donghyuck said, and Jeno and Jaemin shared a gentle smile. "Last year you guys were just little kids with secret crushes, now you're teenagers and you're together." 

"Last year, Taeyong and I were just horny teenagers," Ten interjected. "Now we're horny teenagers with two kids to raise." Everyone laughed loudly and Jeno placed a shy peck on Jaemin's lips. 

"Really, I feel like we've all grown up together," Jeno spoke as Jaemin nestled himself in Jeno's lap. "It'll be interesting to see where we're all at next year."

"Let alone when we're adults," Taeil spoke. Jisung shuddered at the very thought. "It's closer than you think, kid," Taeil said quietly to him. 

"Don't be weird, grandma," Chenle said, swatting Taeil's hand away. 

"Grandma? I don't even get to be grandpa?" Taeil protested. 

"You know what I think?" Jaemin interrupted. "I think that no matter how much I mature, I'll always love you, Jeno." 

"Aw!" Everyone cooed, and Jeno blushed fiercely. 

"Cheesy," Jeno mumbled just to Jaemin. Jaemin giggled at his boyfriend before turning back to the group. 

"Thank you for including this hetero in all your weird shit," Renjun said. "Especially that," he added, pointing to Jeno and Jaemin who had began to nuzzle each other's noses.

"You're my favorite straight person!" Donghyuck said to Renjun. 

"You know, that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me," Renjun responded. 

"Don't jinx it," Donghyuck answered with a look. Renjun laughed loudly before grimacing when his eyes landed on Jeno and Jaemin. 

"I will say that I'll be happy to be able to sleep without cheesy couples sharing a room with me," Renjun stated. 

"Same," Kun groaned loudly. "But seriously, you guys are the best. I'm...I'm really sorry for the mess I've caused," he said with a look in Sicheng and Yuta's direction. 

"It's okay. I forgive you," Yuta said, rubbing Kun's arm. "Just don't try any of that shit again," Yuta added. 

Kun laughed. "My homewrecking days are over, I promise. I'll get my own man." Jisung sighed to himself and stared pointedly at the floor. 

"I love all of you!" Chenle suddenly cheered in his very loud voice. "Mom Ten, dad Taeyong, grandpa Johnny, grandma Taeil, creepy uncle Yuta-" 

"Hold it right there!" Yuta interrupted. 

"I'm just saying, I love all of you. Especially you, Jisungie," Chenle said with a shy smile at Jisung. Jisung couldn't figure out why he was too embarrassed to look Chenle back in the eyes. "I feel like we're just a big family. That's what I was trying to say." 

The boys all paused, knowing that Chenle really was right: they'd become like a family. 

"I'm not the creepy uncle though," Yuta mumbled. Sicheng began to giggle, and soon enough the cabin was filled with laughter. 

The eighteen of them stood up, pulling each other into a confusing hug, holding their best friends tightly

All of the sudden, the lunch bell rang loud through camp, and the boys looked at each other. 

"Should we go?" Sicheng asked. 

"We should say goodbye to Sehun," Taeyong responded. 

"Anyways, this'll be the last day we can get Chef Kyungsoo's sandwiches," Johnny added. 

"Oh shit!" Donghyuck cried. "We have to." They all grinned and ran out of the cabin excitedly. Maybe that sense of sadness was still there, but for now, they could be together.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> one last chapter after this! coming soon. 


	29. Until Next Time

Johnny and Taeil simoultaneously groaned as they woke up the morning of the final day at camp. 

"I don't wanna go!" Johnny screamed jokingly. Taeil rolled on top of Johnny before looking up confusedly. 

"Wait, where is everyone?"

Johnny sat up too and looked around; the cabin was completely empty. Even everyone's luggage was gone. 

Suddenly, Sehun pushed open the door to the cabin with a frustrated expression. 

"Guys!" He yelled. "The breakfast bell was four hours ago! Your parents are here?"

"Shit," Johnny mumbled. 

"Just hurry up," Sehun groaned, leaving them alone abruptly. As soon as he was gone, Johnny and Taeil leapt out of bed and started stuffing their things in their luggage. 

"We really should've done this last night," Taeil said as they haphazardly shut their luggage and raced out of the cabin. 

They ran down the gravel path, Johnny suddenly grabbing Taeil's hand. They shared a smile, stopping and panting right before they got to the parking lot. 

Johnny pulled Taeil in for a quick and sweet kiss before rubbing his arm. They shared a smile, trying to be happy to not waste their time. The sadness could wait until they were apart. 

"See you next year?"

"See you next year," Taeil answered, and they ran for their parent's cars so they couldn't see the frowns on their faces. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Unlike last year, Taeyong had actually packed all of his luggage the night before. He and Ten had their luggage sitting in front of them as they dejectedly sat in front of the parking lot. They shared a sigh.

"I love you..." Taeyong said slowly. 

"Love you more," Ten answered. 

Just then, the two boys heard soft sniffles coming from behind them. They turned to see Jisung and Chenle standing behind them, holding back their tears of sorrow.

"Aw babies!" Ten said softly, and he and Taeyong shared a look. They both knew that they had to keep a good face, for the kids. 

"Don't worry," Taeyong said as he wiped away their tears. "Next year will come way sooner than you think." 

"Not soon enough," Chenle whined loudly. 

"No, Lele. It's soon, I promise," Ten answered, rubbing Chenle's arm. 

"Are you sure?" Jisung asked, and the older boys nodded back. 

"Alright then, maybe it isn't so bad," Chenle spoke.

~~~~~~~~~~

Ten and Taeyong's parents arrived soon after, leaving Chenle and Jisung by themselves in the parking lot. Jisung alternated looking between the ground and Chenle, not quite sure what to say. He felt a weird feeling in his gut, like he'd never felt before, but he didn't know what to do about it. 

Suddenly, Chenle pulled Jisung into a tight hug. Jisung slowly hugged back, surprised when Chenle held him there for a long time. He felt his face heat up and he touched his cheek. 

"Jisungie?"

"Yeah?"

"Uh-um...I..." Chenle started. Just as he was about to finish, a car honked beside them, and the two boys turned. "That's my mom!" Chenle said awkwardly, finally pulling away from the hug and running into the car. "Bye!" He called, and all Jisung could do was wave in confusion as he drove away. 

~~~~~~~~~~

After Jeno and Jaemin said goodbye to Mark and Donghyuck, they walked hand in hand down to the parking lot.

"It was good this year, right?" Jaemin spoke. 

"Waiting for you this year is gonna be painful," Jeno answered. 

"But it'll be worth it," Jaemin mumbled, kissing Jeno on the cheek. Jeno giggled, turning Jaemin's head so they could kiss on the lips. 

"I love you," Jeno whispered against his lips. 

"I love you too," Jaemin responded in his gentle voice, and Jeno immediately couldn't wait for next year. 

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Jungwoo, it'll be okay," Yukhei whispered gently. Jungwoo sniffled softly, his face buried in Yukhei's t-shirt. "I'll call you every single day, I promise." 

"What if you don't like me next year?" Jungwoo asked softly. 

"I would never stop liking you. Don't be insecure. You're better than all the stupid people at my school. No one could beat you." 

Jungwoo managed a small smile, looking up at his boyfriend. 

"I'm gonna miss you too," Yukhei said very quietly. 

"Bro!" A loud voice yelled. They both turned, and Jungwoo saw a guy who looked a lot like Yukhei sticking his head out of the window, wearing a football jersey. 

"That's my brother," Yukhei said sadly. 

"Dude, did you score at camp?" Yukhei's brother yelled. Jungwoo turned pink and Yukhei grinned. 

"Bye baby," Yukhei said softly. Jungwoo rubbed his eyes as Yukhei pecked his lips, watching him walk away. 

"Bro, he's cute. You're a lucky guy!" Jungwoo heard Yukhei's brother say. Jungwoo bit his lip and flushed softly to himself, maybe he wasn't so bad. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Yuta and Sicheng were leaning against one of the cabins by the parking lots when they looked up to see Sicheng's car. 

"I guess this is goodbye," Yuta said with defeat. 

"No," Sicheng responded, tugging Yuta over to the car. Sicheng's parents stepped out to help him with his luggage before looking at Yuta with surprise. 

"I want you to meet someone," Sicheng spoke. "This is Yuta." Yuta noticed a light of recognition in both of their eyes. 

"It's nice to finally meet you," Sicheng's father spoke, and Yuta shook hands with both his parents. Yuta could feel the tension in the air; he knew he wasn't exactly popular with Sicheng's parents. 

"It's nice to meet you both as well," Yuta answered. 

"I hope you two had a good time at camp together," Sicheng's mom spoke. 

"Any time I get to see Sicheng is magical," Yuta answered completley honestly. Sicheng's parents shared a look before smiling politely back at Yuta. 

"Well, we better head off. Nice to meet you," Sicheng's dad said. 

"Nice to meet you too," Yuta answered. He turned to Sicheng with a smile. "I love you," he mouthed. 

"I love you more," Sicheng mouthed back, just as he stepped into the backseat of the car. 

Yuta stood absolutely still, watching as the car drove away. 

"Yuta seems very sweet," Yuta heard Sicheng's mother say. 

"I told you so!" Sicheng yelled back. Yuta grinned, and waited for his own parents to come. 

~~~~~~~~~~

"Well, this sucks," Jaehyun said dejectedly as they sat on a log by the parking lot, waiting for their parents to arrive. 

"Duh," Doyoung answered, then sighed. "We've survived one school year before. We'll make it." 

Jaehyun huffed. "Barely," he mumbled. 

"I'd rather not endure life without you again," Doyoung spoke, looking over at Jaehyun. "But if I must, I must." 

"How many years until we can go to college together?"

Doyoung sighed again. "Two. No, wait, you have an extra year, so three." 

"That's really gross," Jaehyun said.

"Agreed," Doyoung responded. 

"Can you kiss me? Maybe it'll make me less depressed." 

"I don't want my parents seeing me making out again," Doyoung responded. 

"At least leave me with something!" Jaehyun whined. 

Doyoung placed a slight peck on his lips, and Jaehyun rolled his eyes. 

"I guess that's enough." 

~~~~~~~~~~

Mark and Donghyuck had been waiting silently in the parking lot before Donghyuck suddenly turned to Mark.

"I'm gonna miss you so much Mark," Donghyuck mumbled into Jaehyun's skin, holding him as tight as he could. 

"Me too, me too," Mark responded, gripping onto the back of Donghyuck's shirt. The pair reached forward to share a passionate kiss, holding each other as tightly as they could. Donghyuck reached up and picked up Mark, Mark wrapping his legs around Donghyuck's waist as they refused to break their kiss. Ignoring the sound of a honking horn, they kissed as if the day would last forever. 

The honk repeated, much louder this time, and the two boys broke apart. They turned towards the source of the noise to see Donghyuck's parents car parked right in front of where they were making out, Mark's face turning from bright red to ghostly wide. 

Mark dislodged himself from Donghyuck as Mark stared back at Donghyuck's parents and three siblings, cursing himself internally. 

"So this must be the legendary Mark Lee!" Donghyuck's dad teased, sticking his head out of the car window. Donghyuck just grimaced back at him uncomfortably, and Mark whimpered uncomfortably.

"Mark and Hyuckie sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g," Donghyuck's three siblings chanted in unison.

"Sorry," Donghyuck mouthed to Mark.

"Come on, hop in," Donghyuck's mother said, and Donghyuck went to go put his things in the trunk. 

He turned back towards Mark, and the couple shared a soft smile. 

"I'll miss you," Mark said softly, managing a small smile. 

"Miss you too," Donghyuck spoke, grinning back, and got in the car to head home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And....there it is! This story is finally over. I hope you all enjoyed it! Thank you so much for all your kudos, bookmarks, and comments. Each one means a lot to me. 
> 
> As for this story/au, I may or may not write a final sequel. If I do write a sequel it won't be for a while, but I can hint that it'll fast forward to NCT as camp counselors!
> 
> My next story is a rated m, NCT abo chaptered story (which you can find on my aff). It'll have all the same couples as here (except for the dreamies). It definitely won't be as fluffy as this story but I do always write happy endings. The first chapter will be up on ao3 very soon.
> 
> Thank you guys again for all of your love and support. Hopefully I'll see you at my abo story/the sequel!
> 
> -RainbowDonkeys


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